


Rigged from the Start

by TheBobcat18



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Bad Future Timeline (Fire Emblem), Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBobcat18/pseuds/TheBobcat18
Summary: To sum things up, I'm screwed. It's one thing to wind up in a story I know, but what happens when I get sent to one I've only heard whispers of? One rife with the undead, a Fell Dragon, and a scrappy band of Shepherds clinging to the last vestiges of hope. Time to find out. That is, if I live long enough to do so. A Fire Emblem Awakening SI
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. The Bus... or How Public Transportation Sent Me to Another World

I always considered my life to be rather uneventful. Nothing very exciting ever really happened. I was just your normal, everyday joe, so to speak. Except I did not have the luxury of working a traditional nine to five office job, nor did I like drinking coffee before work. Each day passed like the previous one. Wake up, go to work, bust my ass for eight hours, go home, turn on the tv, eat dinner, go to sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat. And during the weekends, instead of working, I would sit at home and do nothing exciting in particular. The biggest moments of excitement always came on Saturdays when I practiced the family religion. I'd dress up in scarlet and grey, turn on the Big Ten Network, and scream at football players the same age as me, thinking that they could hear me. Lovely existence really. Then once that fun was over, it was back to a boring life. The weekend would end, Monday would come, and the process would repeat.

Today was a Tuesday, so already I felt exhausted from work this week. I woke up at the ass crack of dawn for my job (as always), partially sleepwalked my way through brushing my teeth and combing my brown hair, cracked a can of Pepsi open, negated any good progress I made brushing my teeth, then got dressed in my work uniform. First, I threw on some khaki work pants with extra pockets. Rather durable material actually, if not necessarily comfortable. I then threw on a garish, lime green collared shirt and slapped the equally green hat on my head. I raised my brow as I looked in the mirror of my apartment bathroom.

"Hello, sir… ma'am…" I rehearsed, as a low yawn slipped from my lips. I stretched my arms over my head, "My name is Sam, I work for Yardboys Lawn Care," Another loud yawn escaped me, and I scratched the back of my head, "Would you like to…" I trailed off with a sigh and stared at my bored reflection. My green eyes blinked sleepily, "Yeah, I'd slam the door in my face took." I grabbed my phone and wallet off of the countertop, shoved my earbuds into my pocket then looked at the mirror again. I flashed a fake smile at my reflection, "Have a lovely day."

With a final, despondent sigh, I resigned myself to my fate and marched to the door. I quickly snagged the old, leather, Harley Davidson jacket I owned, slipped it over my shoulders, and stepped out of my apartment. I made my way down a short flight of stairs, then exited the little, red brick building I called home.

I shuddered as a bitter wind hit me. Fresh snow crunched beneath my shoes, as I stomped my feet, uttering a small curse as I carefully stepped down the frozen concrete stairs in front of me and onto the sidewalk.

"Cold." I shivered, "Fucking cold."

My breath misted in front of my face as my bare hands fidgeted with my earbuds. I shoved them into my already red ears and let some music assist my body in waking up. This morning, the wonderfully gruff tones of James Hetfield filled my brain. My head bobbed up and down as I strolled down the sidewalk, not even bothering to glance up at the street as I made my way across it. Why should I worry about cars at this hour? The sun was just starting to rise, and the rest of the town would not wake up for another hour or so. I'll start paying attention once I got closer to the bus station.

My eyes closed as the song in my earbuds switched. Fade to Black faded away and an instrumental took its place. Voice of the Soul, the only song by a certain Death Metal band I really enjoyed. A beautiful composition really. I do not understand much about musical theory, since I have never much of a musician. But even I could tell that this song had a certain beauty to it. The way the guitars sang over each other in perfectly crafted layers made me utter a somewhat content sigh.

As I reached another intersection, my foot caught a patch of ice.

"Fuck." I hissed as I slipped, nearly falling flat on my back. I threw my arms out to steady myself as I skidded towards the road. Once I slowed to a stop, I paused and took a breath. One foot kicked at the ice, "I'll remember you."

I looked up. Someone was waving their arms frantically at me. I arched an eyebrow. Then I remembered, I'm in the middle of the road now.

I turned to my right.

_Oh, that's my bus._

The lights went out.

* * *

You know, I am very good at falling asleep. No really, I'm not lying right now. True, I'm your typical young adult, in that I always stay up way too late and never manage to wake up feeling healthy or rested, but when I put my mind to it, I can lose consciousness in about two minutes flat. Maybe it comes from growing up with a military father or something? Maybe it was genetic? I don't know, but falling asleep has never been a problem. Even when I have loud, typically heavy music playing in my ears, I can close my eyes and be gone.

So everything seemed totally fine when the silence turned into the guitar solo from Cemetary Gates. And that is not the noise that woke me up. It was Phil Anselmo's banshee-like wail in that song that caused me to jerk awake. An action I instantly regretted as pain lanced through my entire body.

I squeezed my eyes shut, groaned, and pressed myself flat on my back once again. Both of my hands reached up and yanked the earbuds from my ears. Every muscle felt stiff. Like a fist was squeezing my entire body. I could hardly move my head, and for some reason, I smelled like diesel.

I tried opening my eyes again, and hissed as a splitting headache reared its ugly head. I reached up with one hand and massaged my eyes. Then I forced myself to open my eyes.

The first sign something was wrong: the sky was still dark. Not dark as in the sun was still rising, but dark like it was midnight. Up in the frozen tundra, if the sky was as clear as it is right now, the sun would barely peak over the horizon and large swaths of the inky blackness would be covered with shades of pink, purple, and orange. And there was never this many stars in the sky. It looked like there were thousands of them above me. Some brighter than others. All twinkling like brilliant gems high above my head. It was a breathtaking sight I had only ever seen once before in my life.

Second sign something was wrong: I did not see the Big Dipper. I considered myself somewhat fascinated by the mundane. Whenever there were actually stars visible back home, I'd always laugh to myself once I found the Big Dipper. It was the first constellation I ever learned to find. Then I'd struggle to figure out if the three stars I saw lined up in a row were Orion's Belt or not. The fact that I could not see either of those familiar constellations, that all of these stars were arranged in a manner I did not recognize at all, caused more than a smidgen of confusion to build up in me.

Third sign something was wrong: I was not cold. I actually felt a little warm. December in Wisconsin never felt like this. It felt like it was May, or June even. A cool, summer's night. Long grass brushed against my fingertips as I lay still on the ground. I curled my fingers around those soft blades and frowned.

"No snow." I muttered to myself. I gingerly sat upright. A labored breath escaped my lungs as more aches and pains filled my body. I grit my teeth through the dull pain and looked around, "No town." I furrowed my brow, "And nothing but grass."

I hummed to myself.

"I'm in Kansas."

Now, you'd think the logical part of my brain would kick at this point. But for some reason, it's been turned off for the moment. How on earth would I suddenly be transported from Appleton, Wisconsin to middle of nowhere Kansas in the blink of an eye? Or what felt like the blink of an eye? What exactly happened a few minutes ago again?

I sucked in a sharp breath.

_The bus!_

My eyes widened. I got hit by a bus. Not just any bus either, but my bus. The bus I needed to take to get to work on time. That bus.

Instead of panic seizing me, I simply slumped in my seat.

"My boss is going to kill me."

I laughed to myself. Of all the things I was going to think of this moment, that was what worried me. Not getting hit by a bus, not all of a sudden being teleported to a completely different place, not waking up to seeing an unfamiliar night sky; no, being late for work was what worried me.

"Wonderful," I chuckled to myself as I looked around in disbelief, "Just perfect."

This place really was in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't even see a single farm field nearby. For a single year in my childhood, I lived in Kansas. Near Kansas City to be exact. But I remembered taking road trips through the rest of the state. There were brief patches of nothing, but the rest of the state was covered with corn and… well… corn. Honestly, despite the unbelievability of my sudden teleportation, it seemed perfectly logical to assume this was Kansas.

I sighed and reached into my pocket. Hopefully I still had cell service. If I did, I could call for help. Maybe some local, county sheriff could come out here and give me a ride to the nearest… I don't know, Greyhound Station? There was no way I could afford a plane ticket back home. Not during the holiday season. As unappealing as cross country bus ride sounded, that was the only way I could afford to get home.

My phone winked to life, and I let my head fall back.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

No service. Not a single bar. I flicked the screen off. The urge to scream obscenities was strong, but I kept my cool. I needed a level head right now. Panicking, getting angry, none of that would do me any favors.

Let's think about this, problem solve now Sam. You just woke up after getting hit by a bus. By some sort of miracle, not only are you alive, you are unharmed, and in Kansas instead of Wisconsin. You're in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere, and you don't have the sun to help you navigate home. Nor any constellations for that matter (as if I could actually navigate that way, but hey, maybe some Discovery Channel knowledge lingered in the back of my brain).

I took a deep breath.

 _What would Bear Grylls do?_ I thought to myself with a slight laugh, _Other than drinking his own piss?_

I shakily rose to my feet. My legs wobbled, knees buckled, and I took a staggering step forward to balance myself. I probably looked like a newborn deer learning how to walk for the first time. Each step I took felt like pins and needles were being jabbed into the bottom of my feet. My toes curled as I grit my teeth and fought off the pain.

I swiveled my head around, trying to get a better view of my surroundings. Although, I couldn't see much. Starlight only revealed so much in the darkness, and there was no moon tonight.

Some crickets chirped in the shadows. I took a deep breath of the warm air.

_Remain calm._

I needed to pick a direction and start walking. So, I turned to my right. With any luck, I'd run into some sort of civilization. Or at the very least, a source of water. If this was Kansas, then I couldn't be that far from a farm.

I took one aching step. Then another. One foot in front of the other. Eventually, the pins and needles faded, the stiffness in my muscles receded, and I settled into a comfortable stroll through the tall grass. I paused after a few minutes and glanced around. Old childhood fears crept through the back of my mind. I've never liked the dark, let alone wandering around in it, but it's not like I had a choice right now. And I did not dare use the flashlight app on my phone. I needed to conserve as much battery as I could, in case I eventually managed to reach some sort of cell service. So I shoved those childish fears down, swallowed hard, and kept walking.

It felt like hours until the landscape changed. That change did not come in the form of a dirt road, crops, or even a county highway. The change came in the form of a little village that sat right smack in the middle of this massive swath of open country.

A relieved sigh rushed from my lips as I saw the silhouettes of houses in front of me. That relief faded when I noticed no lights in the village. Not a single lamp flickered around the buildings. Hell, there weren't even any fires.

A bad feeling churned in my gut. Something in the back of my mind told me to just keep walking, but my dry tongue and rumbling stomach overruled that advice. So, I trudged my way into the village.

The grass grew wild around the rickety buildings. Most of the buildings were very small homes. From the looks of things, they were all one-room house. Huts of some sort. As I delved further into the dark village, the grass became hard beneath my feet. I glanced down and noticed stones hidden in the thick weeds and blades of grass. Old, cracked, gray pavers that looked well worn.

_Must be an old town._

I flicked my gaze around. That bad feeling in my gut was starting to grow into a vicious stomach ache. But I did not feel like knocking on any doors at the moment. Mostly because every single building around me looked very ominous. Especially the church that sat across a small river.

I frowned as I looked at the church bathed in faint starlight. It's tall steeple dominated the rest of the town. But the stained glass near the top of the steeple was broken. I could not make out what image once sat on the steeple, but I did not see a cross anywhere on the building. Which meant it was not your typical midwestern church.

"What kind of place is this?" I muttered to myself as I crossed the run down stone bridge and moved closer to the old church.

As soon as I set foot on the grass-covered stones across the bridge, the crickets stopped chirping. The night stood still around me. Despite the warm night, I shivered. This place was giving me the willies now. Not only did I wake up in Kansas, I woke up near a ghost town in Kansas. A ghost town that looked nothing like the ghost towns you see in movies or documentaries. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this place looked rather medieval. But that had to be a trick my mind was playing on me. Shadows can easily lie, especially when I'm this disoriented.

A low growl came from a small, broken shack near the church. I froze mid-step. My head slowly turned towards the growl. My already parched throat felt dry as sandpaper. Some sweat beaded on my head. I could feel my pulse racing.

A pair of eyes glowed in the darkness. They stared directly at me as they hovered low to the ground. Teeth flashed in the shadows of the church. I took a small step back as a black dog stalked towards me. It's thin, half-starved body came into full view. Despite its frail appearance, I could not help but feel a bit afraid. Its ears were pinned back, head lowered, ready to attack.

I sucked in a sharp breath. I did not grow up around dogs, so I wasn't entirely used to them. That being said, I always liked dogs, even if my father did not want pets in the house. They were always friendly to me. Always fun to play with and pet. I never had one snarl at me like this. This dog looked like it wanted to rip my throat out.

"H-hello-" I flicked my eyes towards its bellow, "B-boy?" I stammered. I gulped as the dog snarled again, "Or girl. maybe I got it wrong?" I pressed my lips together as it took a threatening step forward, "How long have you been here?"

The dog's lips curled back even more. I paled as I saw red stains on its yellowed teeth.

"I'm um…" I swallowed hard, "I'm not going to hurt you. Nope, not going to."

With a trembling hand, I reached towards the dog. If there was one thing I knew about dogs, it is that if one is threatening you, do not make a sudden movement. Do not give it an excuse to charge at you. Show that you are the alpha. That's what Caesar Milon always said at least. I kept my eyes focused on the dog. As much as I wanted to step back from the threatening dog, I stood my ground.

I felt terrified, but I did not show it, and that somehow seemed to work. The dog's ears perked slightly. Its lips closed, hiding those wicked jaws. The dog kept its head lowered, but now it regarded me with slight curiosity rather than hostility.

I kept my hand open and outstretched.

"Good dog." I breathed as it cautiously approached. I felt its wet nose brush over my fingertips, "There we go."

_I have no idea how this worked out so well, but I will not complain._

I gingerly reached up and brushed the dog's head. It recoiled back for a moment before nuzzling fully into my hand. A smile crossed my face as my fingers raced through its dark hair.

"You aren't so scary now." I said. I looked around again. My gaze focused on the strange, ruined church. For some reason, this place looked oddly familiar. I looked back down at the dog, "You don't happen to know where I am, do you?"

The dog wagged its tail.

"Well, I'm glad you like me so much." I breathed. A slight chill drifted through the air. I shuddered again and shoved my hands into my coat pockets. I eyed the church's large doors, "Well, when in need…"

I strolled towards the church doors. The dog followed me for a few paces before freezing. I stepped up onto the short, stone stairs that led up to the church's doors. When I reached the third step, I noticed the dog growling again. I frowned and looked back at it.

"Look, I'm not a bad guy, alright." I blinked, "Oh crap," I gave the dog a worried look, "Are you a guard dog or something?"

A low moan hit my ears. I froze on the steps. The chill in the air grew. Any warmth the night held retreated completely. I could see my breath frosting in front of my face. My head trembled as I turned my gaze up to the church doors. One door slowly creaked open, and my stomach flipped as the door stopped opening with an abrupt groan.

_Every single horror movie instinct is telling me to back away._

I took a step back. The dog snarled.

"Would you let me back away!" I snapped at it.

Anxiety filled me. My breaths entered and exited my lungs in short, sharp puffs. I do not do well in situations like this. The creepy church combined with the dark night and the snarling dog caused every single fear-filled instinct in me to burst to life.

Something shambled in the shadows beyond the church's open door. I froze.

"H-hello?" I gulped, "Is uh-" I gestured at the dog behind me, "Is this your dog?"

The dog's snarled again. Then I felt it brush up against my right leg. It was hiding behind me. I gave it a worried glance as it's snarls became small whines.

A person shambled closer to the open door inside of the church. I gulped as I tried to make out the guy's features in the darkness. He walked with an awkward limp. One shoulder hung lower than the other, and from what I could see, its head was tilted to the left.

"Do you, um," I pressed my lips together as the guy shambled into the doorway, "Do you happen to know the way to the nearest police station?" He remained in the shadows of the doors, "Or er- maybe a fire station?" Another low moan floated on a cold breeze, making me shiver. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and the dog whimpered louder, "Perhaps the uh… closest gas station? Hopefully its a Shell Station?"

The guy shuffled out into the starlight, and my entire body went numb.

Red eyes glowed inside of a black mask. A grotesque, horrifying expression was ingrained into the mask over the guy's face. Its clothes looked like armor of some sort. Rusting and rotted plates covered it head to toe. He carried a rusty sword in his left hand. The point dragged along the ground as he trudged towards me, scrapping over wood and stone with a grating noise.

I gulped. The dog bristled beside me as it snarled at the man stumbling towards me.

"L-look, b-buddy." I took a step back. My eyes were glued to the sword dragging along the stony ground. The dog followed my lead, "I don't want any-" I cried out as I tripped and fell backward down the last two steps.

My head swam as it smacked against the ground with a hard crack. I groaned. My groan elicited a response from the armored, masked man.

It… it laughed, I think? A terrifying creaking sound came from whatever face rested behind that mask. I scrambled up to my feet as it stopped shambling and started rushing towards me.

"Stay back!" I cried.

It closed the distance between us ridiculously fast. My eyes widened as it reared back with its rusty sword. Survival instincts took over. I spun around and ran. Right as I twirled around, a sharp, stinging sensation crossed the back of my neck as the edge of the blade nicked my skin.

"Holy shit!" I screamed as I ran.

The guy, thing, whatever it was, screeched. Those screeches were answered by a dozen more. Adrenaline pumped through my body as more pairs of red, glowing eyes winked to life in the village's shadows. Two of them cut off my way out of the town while the others moved to surround me.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

Quick think! Get somewhere safe!

_Nowhere is safe!_

Get in a hut, you idiot!

I rushed for the nearest building and threw myself against what I thought was a rickety wooden door. Now, I'm definitely not the biggest person in the world, more like one of the smaller ones. I certainly do not have a lot of meat on my bones, but I still believed I had enough weight behind me to break down the door.

I bounced off of the door and fell onto my ass.

_Obviously not._

The dog remained by my side. It backed up towards the hut door I tried to break through. I heard the screeches drawing closer. Adrenaline forced my body back to its feet. Fear made me slam against the hut's door again.

"Bastard! Open!" I screamed.

I heaved all of my weight at the door, but it did not budge.

"Fuck!"

I spun around. They were all around me now. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Just me and a stray dog against twelve demonic-looking human beings. All of them clad in rotting armor and black masks. All of them wielding medieval weapons, ranging from swords, short and long, to axes.

I backed up until my back pressed against the door. My chest rose and fell in heavy, terrified breaths. The cold penetrated into my bones now. It did not feel like the type of cold I was used to. Instead, it felt like an oppressive darkness. A feeling of hopelessness that gripped my mind. In that moment, I wanted to curl into a ball and cry.

One of the monsters stepped closer than the others. So close in fact, that I could make out more features. Instead of tight, healthy skin on its bones, I saw rotting, grey flesh. A pit formed in my gut.

"I'm in hell." I breathed, "That bus sent me to hell."

This monster raised its ax, determined to cleave me in two. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the blade to dig into my flesh and kill me.

It never happened. I heard something whistle in front of me. The monster uttered a gurgling sound. I cracked an eye open. A black, feathered arrow protruded from one of its ruby eyes. The monster staggered backward and uttered a loud scream.

Before I could even blink, four figures burst from the darkness beyond the ring of monsters. One was a man in heavy blue and white armor, riding a horse. He leveled a lance at one monster. Just behind him sprinted two other people, a guy and a girl. The guy wore strange brown robes and had a large, pointed hat on his head. The glasses on the bridge of his thin nose glinted in the starlight. The girl beside him wore leather armor and had a large, steel shoulder plate on her left arm. In her right hand she wielded a sword. Red hair ran down from her head in twin ponytails, and furious expression rested over her face.

Just behind those two was the origin of the black arrow. A slight, frail-looking girl with midnight hair and ghost pale skin. She carried a bow and arrow. Before I could even register more about her, she nocked another arrow and loosed it. The black arrow zipped through the air and into the other eye of the first monster.

The monster screamed, fell to its knees, then sighed. My eyes widened as it faded into a pile of black ash.

"For the Exalt!" The armored horseman cried.

He crashed against the ring of monsters. His lance dug into one monster, killing it instantly. He then twirled his steed around and slashed the lance through another monster. His two companions racing after him attacked as well. The guy with a pointy hat opened a book, and ball of fire appeared in his free hand. He launched the fireball at the nearest monster, incinerating the thing.

The red-haired girl roared as she slammed into a monster wielding an ax. She hacked away at it, eventually taking its arms before severing its head from its body.

In that moment, I decided it would be a good idea to try and run again.

I shot away from the hut and sprinted towards the nearest opening out of this fucked up mess. The dog followed me. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of metal crashing against metal. The monsters kept screaming. A horse uttered a loud cry.

_I need to get out of here!_

I rushed around the corner of a hut. My head smacked into something hard, and I saw stars.

My head swam. A groan left my lips as I lay flat on my back. As my vision refocused, I saw a pair of evil red eyes glowering down at me. A monster I had not noticed stood over me, sword raised over its head.

The rusted metal hissed down towards my chest. I raised my hands and felt the blade bite into my palms.

The scream that escaped my lungs had to be the loudest scream I have ever uttered in my life. But it got the attention of my apparent rescuers.

A black arrow burrowed into the last monster's shoulder. A bolt of lightning slammed into its torso. A flash of red hair shot past my vision, and the redhead I saw earlier slashed the monster to ribbons. With a low groan, the monster collapsed into a pile of ash in my lap.

I scrambled to my feet. The ash slid off of my body. Every instinct I had told me to flee. Run! Get away! They're still out there, whatever they are. They're going to kill you. I backpedaled right into the redhead.

"Hey!" The girl shoved me forward, "Watch it! Gawds, can't you pay attention?"

I spun around and raised my arms.

"I'm not armed! Don't kill me!" I cried.

The red heard raised an eyebrow, "Why would I kill you?" Her eyes flicked to my hands raised over my head, "Great," She turned her head back to the other not monsters, "Laurent," My mind went blank, "get over here! I need a vulnerary!"

The young man with the large hat snapped his gaze over to the girl. Before he marched over, he shot a fireball into a fallen monster one more time. The monster screamed then became ash. Once the monster was gone, the guy calmly walked over to me and the redhead.

"Are you injured, Severa?" The guy, Laurent, asked.

Severa scowled and folded her arms, "Do I look hurt?"

Laurent furrowed his brow, "Well, I do not notice any notable lacerations, bruises, or contusions. Perhaps there is something beneath the armor I cannot see-"

Severa scowled, "Not me." She huffed then nodded in my direction, "This guy. His hands are all cut up."

Laurent blinked, "Oh, right. Pardon me for not noticing." He reached into a pouch at his hip and withdrew a bottle filled with a nebulous blue liquid, "Hold out your hands."

I kept them raised. Severa rolled her eyes.

"Hey," She waved a hand at me, "are you deaf or stupid? We're offering you help." She frowned, "Gawds, please tell me you aren't broken."

Words returned to my brain. My voice came out in a quiet squeak as I finally managed to reply.

"S-sorry." I slowly lowered my hands and held them out towards Laurent, "I'm just uh…" I flicked my gaze back to the hut the monsters surrounded me at. All of them were gone. The horseman trotted around the area. Probably making sure all of the monsters were killed. Meanwhile, the archer slowly approached me, Severa, and Laurent.

My concentration broke as I felt a stinging sensation wash over my hands. I hissed and glanced down to see Laurent pouring some of the blue liquid over the cuts.

"Give it a moment. The gashes should clot and eventually scab over in an hour or so." He shoved a cork back into the bottle then carefully placed it back in his pouch. His brown eyes studied me for a moment. Then he leaned over and whispered something to Severa.

She rolled her eyes, "You act like I haven't noticed." She hissed back before clearing her throat, "Alright, you." She nodded at me, "Who are you?"

My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to form words again. Those names, they hit me like a ton of bricks now. Severa, Laurent, those were the names of two characters in the game Fire Emblem Awakening. More specifically, the names of two characters who are a part of an apocalyptic future.

Something did not compute in my brain. And that lack of comprehension led to me looking like quite the idiot at the moment.

"Hm…" Laurent rubbed his chin, "Incapable of formulating proper speech." he eyed me closer. Leaning a bit too close to my face for comfort, "Dilated pupils, pale countenance, erratic breathing…" He nodded at Severa "This stranger is suffering from a panic attack. That or an illness that could kill him."

"Wh-what?" I stammered.

Severa huffed, "Great, just great. Alright, how do we fix it?"

Laurent frowned, "The illness, or the panic attack?"

"What do you think?" Severa snapped.

"Stop making him nervous for one." The archer said as she joined the other two. Her voice sounded much smaller than the others. Quite like a mouse. Her hands kneaded her bow as she lingered behind Laurent. Severa glared over at her. The archer shrank a little bit, "P-panic attacks can be worsened by confrontation. You need to make him feel comfortable."

Severa drew back, "Oh! Comfortable eh?" She glanced back at me then back to the archer, "How do I do that, Noire?"

"Perhaps you should stop talking and let Noire take the lead on this?" Laurent suggested.

"What did you say?" Severa scowled.

"What's your name?" Noire piped, taking the other two's attention away from each other and back towards me.

 _Come on brain, function!_ I gulped and lowered my hands. They felt a little numb now. Then again, my entire felt numb at the moment. Both due to fear and complete disbelief.

I was standing in front of a trio of video game characters… what the actual fuck?

"Hey!" Severa snapped her fingers, "You gonna answer her or not?"

I blinked and shook myself out of my stunned stupor, "Uh… Samuel. Well, I go by Sam, for short. Like that better actually. And you guys are named Severa, Laurent, and Noire, right? I'm right, right?" _Stop rambling Sam,_ "Cause I swear that is what I heard you all call each other. Unless those are code words of some sort, in which case-"

"Alright, I liked him better when he was quiet." Severa said, mercifully cutting of my panicked rambling. She turned around, "Sir Frederick! We've got a survivor over here!"

My gaze snapped over to the slowly approaching horsemen. As he approached, Laurent cast a spell in his palm. A small ball of soft, white light flickered over his head, lighting up the area around us in a calming glow. And in that light, I got a good look at the man known as Frederick.

He looked… a lot older than in the game. And a lot rougher too. Noticeable gashes and dents covered his blue and white armor. His brown hair was unkempt on top of his head. An ugly scar ran like a pink ribbon down the right side of his face. His brown eyes gave me a steely stare as his horse came to a stop beside Severa.

"Name?" He asked, voice gruff and hoarse.

"He said his name was-"

"I asked him." Frederick cut off Laurent.

I gulped as I shrank beneath Frederick's stare. God, I thought this guy was intense in the game.

"Sam." I gulped.

Frederick furrowed his brow. His eyes quickly studied my clothes. No doubt they looked very strange to him and the others.

"Come on." He said sternly to the three others, "We need to head back."

Severa frowned, "What do we do with-"

His gaze silenced her. Severa took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes sir." She breathed. Without another word, she followed Frederick towards the edge of the abandoned village.

Laurent glanced at me, then wordlessly followed them. Noire lingered for a moment longer. She flicked her dark eyes back at her friends, then returned her gaze to me.

"Y-you can't stay here." She nodded her head, "Come on. We'll get you and your dog somewhere safe."

She quickly turned on her heel and rushed after the others. I remained frozen in place for a moment, my eyes lingering on all four of them as they marched away. Beside me, I felt my new canine friend brush its muzzle against my leg. I absentmindedly patted its head.

"Good dog." I mumbled.

"Hey! Sam!" Severa shouted up ahead, "Get moving already, or we'll leave you behind!"

I jumped. A part of me hesitated, wondering if I should even follow them. The black ash that covered my shoes reminded me that the other option led to almost certain death at the hands of terrifying monsters. In the end, the choice became simple.

I rushed to catch up with them. The dog loped alongside me. Eventually, I caught up to both Laurent and Noire. Severa and Frederick marched a few paces ahead of us. As I drew up alongside Noire and Laurent, Laurent offered me a leather pouch. I gave him a confused look.

"Are you not thirsty?" He asked.

_Oh, water. Thank God._

I said a quiet thank you then took the waterskin. I gulped a quick sip then handed it back. As Laurent took the waterskin back, my mind raced.

Somehow, that bus sent me to another world. And that world happened to be the world of Fire Emblem Awakening. Except this looked nothing like the game. These events did not happen in the game. Not that I remembered at least. It had been a little while since I played the game in full. Real life has a way of interfering with free time like that.

As I reeled from this revelation, a sobering thought hit me. One that lingered in my mind, even as we reached a worn down, dirt road near a dead forest and set up camp.

How did this happen? And how do I get back?


	2. Another Reason to be Afraid of the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start
> 
> Chapter 2
> 
> Another Reason to be Afraid of the Dark

Day two of my trip to hell via public transportation, and to sum it up in the most simple of fashions: my… feet… hurt. And that is saying a lot. Most of the jobs I have worked in my brief, twenty-two years have involved staying on my feet for hours on end. In fact, the previous one I held involved walking for miles through ice and snow, trying to get people to sign up for lawn care services once the town thawed in six months. So you would think my body would be used to walking long distances without any breaks of any sort. But my God, you would be wrong. So very wrong.

The distance we walked was enormous. I did not know the exact miles, but I do know that the terrain changed after several hours. The rolling, quiet plains of dead grass and cold dirt switched to a dense, dead forest. Knobbly tree limbs surrounded us, like something out of one of those old black and white horror movies. All that was missing were thunder and flashes of lightning.

Even though I felt exhausted, I could not help but feel strangely alert. Perhaps it was just my fears keeping me attentive. I mean, I did just survive an attack by demonic, zombified, medieval monsters. It would make perfect sense for my mind and body to still be reeling from such an experience. Especially since the most excitement I got in a week back home involved college football, not near-death experiences.

Oh, and my old life also did not involve characters from a video game! The entire march, between hissing at my aching feet and trying to calm my nerves, I stared back and forth between my four new companions. Laurent and Noire did not seem to mind my stunned stares. They just marched on in silence. And Frederick never seemed to notice. He was too busy riding in front of us, head on a swivel, right hand kneading the shaft of his lance.

The only person that seemed to care about my stupid stares was Severa, which made sense. She seemed to be… how do I put this exactly? Combative? We'll go with combative. At first, she just ignored me. An action by others that I was somewhat used to. But as we delved further into the forest, she grew more irritated by my slack-jawed expression. So much so that, as the dim sun set below the dead limbs around us, she wheeled around and gave me a furious look.

"Okay, what's the deal?" She growled as Frederick came to a slow stop a few paces ahead. Both Noire and Laurent also ground to a halt. Laurent appeared confused.

Noire shifted nervously, "I thought it best not to talk right now and-"

"Not you, Noire." Severa sighed. She folded her arms and glared daggers at me, "You."

"Hm?" I replied, oh so eloquently.

"Why do you keep staring like that?" She asked, a long frown on her lips.

Frederick glanced over his shoulder at us. As usual, he said nothing. But damn did that glare say a lot. It was enough for Severa to gulp and lower her tone of voice to a hushed whisper.

"Well?" Severa asked me again, "Are you going to answer or not?" She glanced over at Laurent and Noire, "Honestly, his inability to comprehend basic questions quickly is really pissing me off."

"To be fair, you all haven't asked me a lot of questions," I remarked.

A true observation. Last night's camp was a silent affair. Likely due to a command given to the other three by Frederick. At the time, I was grateful for the silence. It gave me time to figure out just what the hell to do in this strange situation. Most of that intense thinking led to heavy doses of panic as I realized that I had no idea what to do. How could I know what to do? I was in a video game world for pete's sake! A video game world that, when given a real-life skin, was both deadly and terrifying.

Severa blinked, "Oh, now he can hear me."

"Am I not allowed to look around?" I finally answered.

The red shade that washed over Severa's face told me that she did not like that answer.

"There is a difference," She began, teeth clenched tight behind her lips, "between looking around and staring at us like we're a bunch of freaks."

I felt Laurent tap my shoulder.

"I suggest backing down now." He nodded at me.

I arched an eyebrow, "Why? I never thought of you all as freaks." I rubbed the back of my neck, "Honestly, I'm just…" Scared shitless. Unsure of how exactly I got into this mess, and completely lost as to how I'm going to get out of it. Wondering how the hell I managed to survive the monster attack back in that ghost town. Not like I could articulate any of that. I never claimed to be a wordsmith, "Amazed, honestly. I never thought that I would," Choose your words carefully now, Sam. Sir Frederick the Intense keeps giving you suspicious looks. The last thing you want to do is get on his bad side by making unbelievable (to them) claims. Such as being from another world, for example. "I guess survive something like that."

Noire bobbed her head back and forth, "I sort of get that feeling." She muttered.

"You did look quite helpless." Laurent nodded.

Severa sighed, "So, you're in awe of your rescuers, then?"

 _Yeah, let's go with that._ I gave her a simple nod.

Severa rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Just try not to get stuck in a trap like that again."

"If you never thought you would survive an attack like that," Frederick spoke up. Severa and the others instantly quieted. His eyes glanced at me over his shoulder. All I could do was shrink beneath his icy gaze, "how have you managed to survive for this long?"

Severa opened and closed her mouth, "Y-yeah?" She placed her hands on her hips and stared at me, "For someone that looked as helpless as you, how in Naga's name have you lived this long? I mean, you don't have any weapons on you. And you're only protection is that mutt." She nodded at the still nameless dog by my side, "You should have been one of the easiest victims those Risen have had in a long time."

I blinked, "That is an excellent question." Even I don't know the answer to that one. "Would you believe me if I said I had survived thanks to pure, dumb luck?"

Laurent shrugged, "I've heard stranger."

Noire kicked at some loose dirt, "We've all had those moments where we've only made it thanks to luck."

"But that's not-" Severa huffed, "Not my point. It is one thing to survive based on luck in a one-time situation. But for you," She looked me up and down, "Hell, I'm surprised the dog hasn't decided to eat you."

I pursed my lips, "That's not very nice of you."

"Yeah? Too bad." Severa replied. She turned to Frederick, "Should I gather firewood? Or is it still not safe enough?"

Please say yes to firewood. Please say yes to firewood. Not that I was cold during last night's campout or anything, my leather jacket did an excellent job of keeping me warm, but the light of a fire would do wonders to calm my nerves. Especially since I still had that childish fear of the dark sneaking around the back of my mind. A fear that would not stop tapping me on the mental shoulder whenever my thoughts drifted away from the even more terrifying Risen and the fact that I am in… another… world.

God, I'm not going to get over that one anytime soon.

Frederick shook his head, "If the Risen have pushed into Southtown, then there will be scouting parties moving into the forest already. Better for us to be safe than sorry." He hopped down from his horse, "Maybe tomorrow."

"But we'll be in Ylisstol by tomorrow night." Severa groaned.

"And there will be plenty of fires there." Frederick hummed back.

He dug into his saddlebags and withdrew a sack filled with hard biscuits. He tossed the bag over to Laurent. The mage easily caught it and withdrew one of those dry pieces of bread from it. He handed it over to Noire, who then handed it over to me. My stomach growled, and I gratefully accepted a biscuit. Not the most appetizing of meals. They were very bland and could use a slab of butter or a teaspoon of honey, but they did the trick in a pinch. Personally, I could go for a nice cheeseburger right about now.

My mouth watered at the thought of a cheeseburger. Do they have those in this world? If not, I might cry.

 _Wait a moment!_ My brain caught up to what Frederick just said. The abandoned village I ended up in was Southtown. But… that can't be right. Southtown was a lively, vibrant town at the start of the Awakening game.

I spun the small biscuit slowly in my fingers as my mind reeled. Why would this be the start of the game? If this was the start, and I wound up in Southtown, then I should have met up with Chrom, Lissa, Robin, and Frederick. I should not have met Severa, Laurent, and Noire. Hell, at the start of the game, they technically were not even born yet.

The biscuit stopped spinning. My heart froze in my chest.

Something even worse than arriving at the start of Awakening has happened to me. I have been transported to the ruined future of that game. A future ravaged by an apocalyptic monster known as Grima. That would explain the presence of Severa, Noire, and Laurent. It would also explain the sudden appearance of the Risen, since they were not supposed to arrive until chapter two of the game.

Any chance I had of possibly surviving this horrible new reality has just died… fuck.

Noire furrowed her brow as he sat down on the ground and looked at me, "Sam? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe he has?" Severa shrugged.

"Correction. If there were any sort of paranormal anomalies in the area, the dog would have sensed them first." Laurent rubbed his chin as he studied the canine by my side, "And he does not seem to be reacting to anything."

Severa gave Laurent a sidelong glance, "It's a dog."

"Dogs can be surprisingly attentive and alert creatures, Severa." Frederick hummed as he withdrew a thin blanket from his saddlebags. He tossed one to Severa, "It would be foolish to ignore it. That dog will sense approaching Risen before we do."

Severa blinked, "R-really?"

Her question snapped me out of my fear-filled, doom riddled thoughts, "You… you doubt the dog?" I glanced down at my black, furry friend. It looked back up at me. Tongue hanging out, tail wagging, "He's lived for longer in that town that me."

Frederick tugged another blanket from his saddlebag, "So you are not from Southtown."

I puckered my lips. I should have seen this coming. Eventually, Frederick the Wary would want to know who I am and where I was from. And just saying, I'm Sam from some other land, would not do the trick. I also doubt he would be amused by a Sam I Am routine. In moments like this, I wish I did not crumble under pressure or panic so easily. If I could actually maintain a level head and think shit through, I would have come up with a solution to the coming questions while marching.

"N-no," I stammered back, "I uh… guess I'm not."

"You guess you aren't?" Severa spread her blanket out on the ground, "How do you guess you aren't from a town?"

"He could not remember where he is from," Noire suggested.

"Oh! Amnesia!" Laurent nodded. Frederick paused as he dug for another blanket, "Entirely possible. But… also rather unlikely. Unless he has sustained some serious blunt force trauma to the head, in which case, his brain could have been damaged enough to cause sudden memory loss."

Severa rolled her eyes, "We know what amnesia is, Laurent." She glanced over at Frederick, "What do you think, Sir?"

Frederick's eyes bore into me once again. This time, his glare did not seem so intense. He still viewed me with distrust, that much I could tell. But there was a sadness in his eyes as he glanced over at me. As if he was seeing someone else instead of me. Someone in a different place and a different time. That brief glance ended, and he continued rummaging through his saddlebags. He pulled out three more blankets, tossed one to both Laurent and Noire, then shoved the last one beneath his arm.

"Not likely." He breathed quietly before kneeling and spreading out his meager bed for the evening.

Severa shrugged and nodded towards Frederick, "I'm inclined to go with his opinion."

"But how can we know that he really isn't an amnesiac with no memory of home?" Laurent asked.

Noire sat down on her blanket. Her hands fidgeted with a black necklace. More specifically, the midnight colored gem that rested near her chest.

Severa scoffed, "You act like I can read the guy's mind. Gawds Laurent, I'm a swordsman, not a mage."

_Mages can read minds? Huh… that's something I never considered._

"I can't read minds either, Severa." Laurent hummed back.

I sighed in relief. That meant my thoughts, and the truth about who I am, would remain my little secret for a while longer. Keeping such a thing to myself was probably the right thing to do. I mean, would you believe some guy dressed up in strange clothes and declaring himself to be from another world? I know I wouldn't. I'd personally think that guy was high on some serious drugs.

"I um…" Noire gulped, "Maybe we should stop bothering Sam with questions. I mean, he did just survive a Risen attack."

"Barely," I added in.

"Thanks to us." Severa snorted, "And I never heard a thank you."  
I frowned back as she laid down on her blanket, "Thank you?"

Her eyes closed as she curled up on her side, facing away from me. Just barely audible over the breeze whistling through the dead trees, I thought I heard her say, "You're welcome."

"Don't pay her any mind," Noire muttered. Her fingers tapped the black gem on her necklace before she uttered a sigh, "Severa… warms slowly to other people."

"If at all." Laurent snorted under his breath.

"You three should rest as well," Frederick said as he took a seat on his blanket. He bit into his biscuit, chewed, then swallowed, "It'll be another long day of marching tomorrow. You all will need your strength." His eyes focused on me. As if he knew that I was the one hurting the most from the day's long march.

"Sound advice." Laurent yawned and stretched his arms over his head, "Who will take watch after you, Sir Frederick?"

Frederick nodded at Severa, "First one asleep, first one awake. Those are the rules."

"Oh, Sev's going to love that." Noire gulped before falling onto her back.

Laurent took off his hat and set it to the side. He ran one hand through his light brown hair then sighed.

"So… we'll return to Ylisstol by tomorrow evening?" He asked Frederick as he let loose another yawn.

Frederick nodded, "That is the plan. Hopefully, nothing will derail it. Now rest."

The finality in his tone forced me to flop onto my back. I heard Laurent yawn one more time before he also laid down.

I curled up onto my left side. For some reason, that side always felt more comfortable to sleep on. Although, I would be infinitely more comfortable if there was a mattress beneath me and not dirt, dead grass, and dry twigs. I huffed and turned over. The blanket's scratchy material caused some static to spark in the space between it and my coat. My head rubbed against a twig beneath the blanket. The sharp end of the twig dug below my ear.

_I could really use a pillow too._

I groaned and flopped onto my back—the worst possible position to sleep in at the moment. Not only did I manage to have another twig dig into my lower back, but I also smacked my head against a rock.

I hissed, jerked upright, grabbed the rock and chucked it with all of my might away.

"Frustrated?"

_Why have I lost my ability to fall asleep now? Of all times, why now?_

I turned my attention over to the watchful knight across the small camp. The lucky bastard was using a saddlebag for a pillow. He leaned back against the soft leather as his horse knelt behind him. His lance rested beside his blanket. And in his lap- I paled.

"That's a very sharp hunk of metal." I gulped.

Frederick nodded as he raised the knife in front of his face. The steel glinted in the faint moonlight. My throat went dry as I suddenly had the image of the man pouncing on me and endlessly stabbing that knife into my body.

_Less morbid thoughts now brain. Please? I already have enough on my plate._

Frederick tossed the knife up and caught it easily by the blade. He eyed me for a moment then gently threw the knife, grip end first, towards me.

And with all of the grace of an epileptic giraffe, I dropped it. I jumped in my seat as the steel bounced against my khaki pants. I stared down at the knife then glanced back up at Frederick. The knight's inclined his chin at me.

"You have no idea how to handle a weapon, do you?"

I flicked my gaze back down to the knife. Carefully, I picked it up. It felt a lot heavier than I was expecting. Then again, this did not look like your run of the mill pocket knife. The damn thing almost looked like a machete mixed with a bowie knife… I have a military father; I know some things. Just not a lot of things.

"How'd you guess?" I asked with a small laugh. I stared down at the blade. In the moonlight, I could see my dark reflection as a dark silhouette in the steel. Featureless and blank.

Frederick folded his hands in his lap, "You looked like you were about to scream when I tossed it over to you."

A sheepish laugh left my lips, "Well, uh… yeah.." I drummed my thumb against the hardened leather along the knife's handle, "You got me, I guess." I gulped and tried to toss the knife back to Frederick. But I misjudged my toss, and it landed with a soft thud in the dirt near his boots, "S-sorry."

He furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes at me. Once again, studying my appearance, my words, even how I slightly fidgeted beneath his stare. I tapped my index finger against my right leg as I waited for Frederick to say something.

"Let me take a guess." He began, "You woke up in a field. No memories of where you are from. In fact, the only thing you can remember is your name." I gulped as he continued glaring at me, "Am I getting somewhere?"

 _The field part, yes._ I thought, _As for the memories, no._

The honest part of my mind yelled at me to just mention I had my memories. But then, how would I answer the flurry of questions that will come afterward? If I knew anything about Frederick from the game, he was relentless. Especially when he set his mind to a task. And his current task was deciphering me, the stranger that suddenly appeared in the middle of a Risen attack.

_Roll with it, Sam._

I gave Frederick a slow nod.

The Knight let out a small sound. He sank back into his saddle.

"I don't suppose you are actually a natural with both weapons and magic as well?"

I gulped, "Well… no. I mean," I nodded at the knife near his feet, "You saw for yourself when it comes to that sort of thing."

Frederick nodded, "Indeed." He frowned, "That begs the question once again; how have you survived this long if you have no martial or magical skills?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Luck?" I suggested, "Being in the right place at the right time? Maybe a divine plan of some sort? I don't know."

Frederick snorted, "Divine plan…" He glanced at the dead forest around us, "I stopped believing in such things a long time ago."

He took a deep breath, then glanced at me. Once again, it looked like he didn't see me, but instead saw another person in my place. Judging by the questions and inferences he was making, I had a pretty good idea as to which person he was thinking of at that moment.

_A certain tactician, no doubt._

"Get some sleep, Sam." Frederick said, "I'll wake you when it is time to march again."

I pursed my lips, "Should I be prepared to take up a watch or something?"

Frederick shrugged, "You can if you want to. I won't require it. From what I can tell, you are a civilian fortunate enough to have survived Grima's carnage so far. And as such, my job as a knight is to see you safely taken to the Halidom of Ylisse's stronghold. Once we are in Ylisstol, you can go about your own life. Now rest, it will be a long march tomorrow."

I replied with a small nod, then laid my head back down. After a few long, agonizing moments, weariness won out, and I drifted off into a restless sleep.

* * *

Nightmares… fucking nightmares. And not the traditional kind either. I did not dream of the boogeyman or some terrible things happening to me. Instead, I dreamed of home. I dreamed of that ice cube of a town I lived in.

When I first moved to that town, I thought it sucked. This quaint, midwestern town in northeast Wisconsin could not be further from my ideal place to live. It was frozen over half of the year. There was never much to do, even when the area was not covered in snow. That is probably why little Appleton is consistently voted the drunkest city in America, or one of them. Nothing better to do when you live in an ice cube then shamble to the bars and drink.

So all in all, the town always seemed dull to me. And in the back of my mind, I always wanted to get out of there. Go somewhere warmer. Somewhere with more life and more opportunity. I had visions of a dead-end life back home, and that scared me. And for the first few years after high school, I was living that dead-end life I was terrified of.

You would think that being taken by some magical, divine, unknown, whatever you want to call it force, to a different world would be a great thrill for me—especially given my feelings for where I once lived. But as I slept, and my mind lingered on home, I could not help but feel a slight ache in my heart. My parents still lived in that town. What were they feeling, now that I was suddenly gone? I did have some friends there. None I would call best friends, but some friends I could drink a beer with. Talk about the Packers with. And my brain chose now to replay some of the good times in my head. It was a strange type of nightmare that made me toss and turn.

Mercifully, something shook my shoulder. My eyes slowly fluttered open. I saw Frederick kneeling beside me.

"Wake up." He whispered before snapping his head to look behind him.

A loud yawn left my lips. Any weariness rushed away when Frederick clapped a hand over my mouth. At once, I was alert. My heart ran a million miles an hour in my chest as Frederick raised one finger to his lips.

I gave him a slow nod as he let his hand slide from over my mouth. I gulped and slowly rolled over.

The others were starting to move as well. Laurent snatched his hat and quickly slipped it over his head. His sharp eyes flicked back and forth as he studied the shadows around us. One hand reached into his robes, and he slowly withdrew his spellbook. Noire already had an arrow nocked in her bowstring. Her fingers tapped nervously against the feathered end of the shaft as she carefully watched the edges of our small camp.

Severa sat rigid on her blanket. Her sword rested by her side. One hand clutched the grip, and the other balled up the blanket between her fingers. Her face was pale, eyes wide, her chest rose and fell in heavy breaths.

But what really caught my attention was the dog. My canine friend sat back on his haunches. Ears pinned back, tail down, a slight whimper rasped from his muzzle.

"Hear them?" Severa whispered to Frederick. The dog whimpered, snarled, then whimpered again.

Frederick focused on the silent woods around us while I strained my hearing. I didn't hear a thing. Which really shouldn't be surprising. I always played music in my headphones at a volume that most doctors would consider very unhealthy. But hey, I don't want to hear the world around me. I want to listen to the amazing guitar solo.

In this instance, I wish I didn't screw up my hearing for all time. Because Frederick and the others clearly heard something moving nearby that worried them. And whatever worried these guys, these trained warriors, scared me shitless. Sweat started to pool in the palms of my hands as I snapped my gaze back and forth between Frederick and the others.

Something hard nudged my left shoulder. I turned my attention back to Frederick. My eyes widened as I stared at the same knife he tossed to me earlier that evening.

"You'll need this." He muttered.

If he says I need it, I need it. Though that does not mean it will do me any good. I've barely ever held knives, beyond a steak or kitchen knife, let alone ever swung one in self-defense.

I carefully wrapped my hand around the smooth, hardened leather grip. My throat felt dry as the full weight of the knife rested in my hand. Despite the obvious sharpness and danger the knife posed, I could not help but think back to the Risen that attacked in Southtown and think: _what the hell is this toothpick going to do to one of those?_

Frederick stood to his full height. He towered over me as he scanned the shadows around all of us once again.

Leaves rustled. Twigs snapped. My breath hitched, and my throat tightened. A sense of dread filled my body as I stared at the darkness. The eerie silence of the forest consumed the air around me. A chill crawled over the camp and crept over me. It sank its fingers into my skin, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.

Heavy boots stomped closer to us. My grip on the knife became airtight. I glanced up at Frederick as I slowly got to my feet with the others.

I noticed Frederick's fist tighten around his lance.

"Move." He hissed to me.

Move? That could mean a lot of different things? Did he want me to move to the right? To the left? Up, forward, backward, back down to the ground, shake it all around? What did he mean by move?

Now you see what pressure and panic does to me.

Something whistled past my head. A sharp pain rushed over the right side of my head, and I felt something hot and sticky plaster that side. A loud cry escaped my lungs.

Shrieks answered my scream. Dozens of figures emerged in the shadows. Pinpricks of bright red light barreled towards us.

"Run!" Severa screamed.

_You don't have to tell me twice!_

I turned tail and took off in the opposite direction of the ambushing Risen. Dead branches and dry leaves crunched beneath my feet as I sprinted as fast as I could through the dark forest. I did not follow any visible trails. I didn't even know what direction I was running in. Just as long as it was away from the shrieking, snarling, undead monsters hellbent on killing me.

The dog barreled around me and ran into the darkness, not even bothering to stop and try to combat the monsters ambushing us. Laurent shot past me next. Then Noire. As they ran, Noire twisted around and fired an arrow behind us. A pain-filled howl erupted uncomfortably close.

Severa rushed by me next. All three of them sprinted further and further ahead of me.

_How are they running so fast!?_

I sprinted past a tree. A bad feeling crawled up my spine. The kind of bad feeling where you know something is both watching and following you.

I dared a glance over my shoulder.

"JESUS CHRIST!"

I stared straight into the waiting snarl of a Risen. Its mask had been chopped off at the jaw, revealed a dangling mess of bone and flesh that refused to close. Its red eyes glowed in the darkness next to me. And in those red eyes, I could see my terrified reflection staring back.

Metal hissed through the air. I reacted on pure fear and survival instincts, and ducked my head. A sword whistled through the air over my head.

"Oh shit, oh shit. Ohshitohshitohshit!"

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. But there was a problem. While I could walk a fair distance and not tire out easily, I can not run to save my life… literally, in this case. My body, to be quite honest, was not designed to run for distance or to run fast. I have every case of bad that can happen to someone with two functioning legs. Weak ankles, often injured knees, occasionally my right hip likes to pop, and that hurts like you would not believe. Oh, and flat feet, we can't forget those fuckers.

Metal whistled in the air again. I ducked behind a tree as fast as I could. The Risen's sword slammed into the trunk with a dull thunk. But before I could even react to nearly getting slashed to death, another Risen emerged in the darkness. This one with a bow and arrow.

_Not fair._

I yelped as I heard the bowstring twang in the darkness. Once again, I ducked behind my meager cover. The arrow skidded against the side of the tree before burrowing into the one just beyond it. As I cowered, the first Risen managed to yank his blade loose from the bark. I watched as that same, rusted sword rushed towards my head again.

I did not move. I froze like a deer in headlights. All I could see was the glint of moonlight against the metal as that blade hissed closer and closer to my face.

It never connected.

A lance caught the blade. That same lance then shoved the Risen back before burrowing its way into the Risen's stomach. The Risen archer nocked another arrow, but before it could fire, Frederick tore his lance free, spurred his horse, and rode it down, driving his lance through its rotting skull. Both Risen crumbled to ash. He wheeled his horse around and rode right at me.

"H-hey, I'm not a Risen! Don't stab me too!"

One strong, armored hand reached down, grabbed me by the back of my jacket, and yanked me up on top of the horse. I blinked, gulped, then wrapped my arms like a vice around Frederick.

More shrieks followed us as Frederick galloped fast through the forest. Just ahead, I heard a loud explosion. Firelight burst to life in the night. Twirling in the fire, was Laurent's silhouette as he charged another spell then launched another fireball into a pair of Risen. Severa roared beside him. Her sword hacked away at any Risen that dared to get close to her. Despite her smaller stature, she appeared to be an absolute force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Each strike had power behind it. Each slash was controlled and calculated. And for a girl, she had an intimidating growl.

But she was just one person, and Laurent could not cover her back forever. One Risen slipped past the inferno in his hands, rushing towards an unsuspecting Severa.

I don't exactly know what happened next. I heard Frederick call out to her. I saw Severa spin to look over at us, still not noticing the large, ax-wielding Risen bearing down on her. I felt Frederick level his lance as he spurred his horse to move faster. Only for his horse to buck as a Risen got in the way and jabbed a sword at its flank, sending me flailing ass overhead off of the horse.

I hit the ground, scrambled to my feet, and rushed towards Severa. Pain, like a hot iron being pressed against my side, erupted through me as my body slammed into hers, easily knocking her over.

We both hit the ground in a heap of limbs and curses. She bounced back up to her feet in half a second. With one swing, she cleaved the head of the Risen from its shoulders. Then she turned to me.

"You idiot! What were you-" Her words got stuck in her throat as she looked down at me.

The burning got worse. And… was my shirt sticking to my skin? I felt incredibly weak all of a sudden. I moved my hand to brush where I felt the pain. My fingers plunged into a warm, wet mess of-

"Oh…" I raised my hand and looked at my fingers. It took me a second to recognize the slick, scarlet liquid covering my hand, "That's… that's my blood." I glanced at my side and saw a massive tear in my jacket and side. Blood spurted out from the wound, "That's a lot of my blood."

My head fell back to the ground. It was so hard to move. I wanted to move, to keep running away. The Risen were still attacking. I could hear steel meeting steel as Frederick and Severa defended themselves. Over the violent clashes, I heard Noire shout in a voice I never thought could come out of the diminutive looking girl. But I could not make out the words.

Everything sounded dull. The sounds around me, even the snarls of the Risen that caused adrenaline to pump through my body, were fading. I stared up at the dark sky above me. A crescent moon sat overhead. Pale and dim in the night sky. The edges around it grew blurry. As my sight failed me, I heard more sounds. Undecipherable noises. More shouts and screams.

Someone rushed to my side. I felt a warm sensation rush over my body. Followed by a strange buzz concentrated on my side. A green glow filled my vision before it all faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! This was an interesting chapter to write. And also a very challenging one to write. This type of story, a first person perspective like this, is so far out of my wheelhouse that it still feels like I'm learning how to properly write like this. It was still a fun chapter to write. It'll just be a matter of getting used to a much smaller scope as compared to the other stories I have written. With that said, I would love to hear whatever advice and criticism you guys have for me.
> 
> Also, I do want to give a shout out to three other authors on this sight! Narwhal Lord, RedXEagle, and LowerBlack, you guys have been huge helps so far, even though this story has barely gotten off the ground so far. If any of you readers haven't checked out their work, I highly recommend their stories. (All the World's a Sale by Narwhal Lord; Aberration by RedXEagle; and Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid by LowerBlack). Also, all these guys are in the Treehouse. Discord code is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, i hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!
> 
> Also, check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Narwhal Lord, Stormtide Leviathan, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts. You can find it on Spotify, and on Soundcloud. Hope to see you all there!


	3. Royalty, Thieves, and Teenagers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start  
> Chapter 3  
> Royalty, Thieves, and Teenagers

First things first: I do not recommend, in any way, shape, or form, for no reason whatsoever, not even it is the right thing to do, tackling someone to the ground. For various reasons, of course. The most important of which is that it fucking hurts. I have never enjoyed tackling others to the ground. Not even during a brief, two month period in seventh grade when I tried playing school football. Of course, only being five feet tall and a hundred pounds at the time probably had something to do with that. But my aversion to decking another human being was born then, and it hasn't changed.

Secondly: I do not recommend tackling someone while simultaneously getting cut by a battleax. I'm sure you all can put the pieces together on that one. Imagine the initial, muscle scrunching, bone-crushing pain of slamming into another human being. Now combine that with a sharp, hunk of metal ripping your flesh into two separate, bloody pieces. From what little I can recall of such a sensation, it is not pleasant.

Thirdly: If you do happen to be in the unfortunate position of tackling another human being while an ax is trying to disembowel you, expect death to come shortly after. It's the only rational, logical step forward, especially when you are transported to a medieval world with no concept of advanced medicine, ambulances, or professional trauma doctors.

So imagine my surprise when I regained consciousness and found myself lying in a bed with white sheets over me and bandages covering my naked torso. I furrowed my brow as my head rested against one of the softest pillows I have ever felt in my life. A pillow that was so soft I swore it had to be made of some sort of memory foam. Which is technically impossible, because memory foam doesn't exist in Fire Emblem, right?

_Too tired to get into that mental debate._

I let out a long groan as I raised my head from the pillow. The room I occupied was a small, cozy space. A fire burned in a fireplace across the room from me, heating the room to a warm, nearly sleep-inducing temperature. A pair of empty, wooden chairs sat near the small fireplace. And above the mantle of the stone fireplace sat a pretty landscape painting—a field filled with yellow and pink flowers with a bright, blue sky over it. The exact opposite of the world I woke up in.

My confusion grew as I turned my head, resisted the urge to fall asleep again as my head swam from the sudden motion, and noticed a nightstand beside the bed. On top of the nightstand was a bottle filled with a nebulous, purplish liquid. A note rested beside that bottle with my name on it in rather fancy, loopy letters.

I carefully moved my hand. The simple act of reaching for the note felt enormous. Every muscle in my arm groaned. The tendons and ligaments that connect the muscles to the bones popped, and the bones themselves creaked. After a couple of seconds of uncomfortable, dull pain, I snagged the note and opened it.

_Sam,_

_If you are reading this note, you woke up while_

_I was called away to take care of other duties._

_The bottle beside you is an elixir. Drink a third of it at a time, for as long_

_as any pain persists._

_Sincerely,_

_Lissa_

"Huh." I muttered to myself, "Who's Lissa?"

I popped the cork to the bottle open and swigged a third of the purple liquid into my mouth.

_You know exactly who the fuck Lissa is, you dipshit!_

I nearly spat out the liquid as my brain caught up to my eyes. I stared wide-eyed at the note that now rested on the table beside me. With a loud gulp, I choked down the elixir, gasped for breath, then snatched the note once again. I brought it closer to my eyes, trying to make sure that I did not misread the name on the note.

"Lissa…" I muttered.

The door to my room creaked open. I quickly shoved the note beneath the sheets.

"For the last time Frederick," A woman with long blonde hair held up in an intricate style that looked rather uncomfortable began, "I do not mind working on him at all." Her tan and yellow robes twirled as she spun away from the doorway and strode into my room.

Frederick followed the woman into the room. He had cleaned himself since I last saw him, now clean-shaven, and wearing a simple green jerkin and tan pants rather than his bulky armor. His brown boots were cleaned of any mud. Hell, they practically shone from the amount of polish scrubbed into the leather. And he did not seem as intense as he had been earlier. There was a much more relaxed posture to his walk at the moment. There was even a slight smile on his face as he followed the woman into my room.

The woman shuffled over to a water basin at the far end of the room, opposite of the door. She dipped her pale hands into the water, scrubbed at them with a brush, then wiped them off with a towel.

"I'm certain one of the regular healers are more than capable of handling Sam's injuries." Frederick hummed.

Lissa snorted, "Yeah, right." She tossed the towel off to a basket beside the basin. I flicked my eyes to that basket and paled a little bit when I saw other towels inside of it, most of them stained a dark scarlet color, "I guarantee you that when the time comes for me to peel those bandages off of him, there will hardly be a scar."

Frederick shuffled beside the door, "You never guaranteed that about my scar."

"That line on your face is hardly noticeable." Lissa replied with a wave of her hand.

"I notice it."

"Of course you-" Lissa trailed off as she turned around and noticed me, finally awake, "Oh!" Her blue eyes darted to the elixir in my right hand. She gave me a nod and glanced over at Frederick, "He's smarter than you made him out to be."

"I never-" Frederick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I never said he was not intelligent."

"No, you said, and I quote," Lissa cleared her throat then dropped her voice low, " 'I honestly have no idea how such a confused, ill-prepared, child managed to survive this long on his own'." She coughed, and her voice returned to normal, "Did I get that right?"

Frederick frowned, his brown eyes glanced at me, "You embellished my tone of voice a little bit."

"Of course I did, I'm not you." Lissa shrugged as she approached the side of my bed, "Alright." She pressed a dainty hand against my forehead, freezing me in my spot, "No fever. That's good." She glanced back at Frederick, "I need my healing staff."

A long sigh left Frederick's lips.

"I shall fetch it for you, milady."

He glared at me one more time, as if warning me not to say anything stupid, then left the room. As soon as the Knight was gone, Lissa let out a slight chuckle.

"I don't really need it right now, but I figured you would relax a little if he was out of the room." She strode over to one of the wooden chairs, grabbed it, and brought it over to my side, "Alright, come on, sheets down, I need to take a look."

I could feel my cheeks heat up at that. I already knew I was not in Awakening's correct timeline. Meeting Severa, Laurent, and Noire as adults, as well as combating several ambushes of Risen, confirmed that uncomfortable fact for me. So the Lissa was interacting with now was not the Lissa I knew from the game. She was not a youthful Shepherd. She was a fully grown woman. And… well… I've never been very good at interacting with the opposite sex.

And she looked nothing like how she did in-game. Now she wore the elegant robes of a high ranking noblewoman instead of a flouncy dress and corset. A crown, very similar to a golden halo, rested on her head. And there were worry lines on her face that I did not notice before, and that she clearly did her best to cover up. In the game, she always had this boundless energy to her character. But now, in this strange future that I knew nothing about, she possessed that energy but had it tempered with elegance.

She rolled her eyes a little bit.

"Don't be embarrassed; I've already seen it all." My cheeks turned an even darker shade of red, causing her to laugh, "Come on, let me take a look."

Reluctantly, I let her pull the sheets away from my body. Warm air hit my skin, causing goosebumps to form. This was the first time I had a chance to look at the damage done to me by the Risen.

I have never been covered by so many strips of cloth in my life. That includes Halloween party games that involved toilet paper mummies. Thick strips of the stuff were wrapped tight around my thin form. It almost looked like a white shell had encased my entire right side. My eyes then drifted further down, and I noticed I was wearing shorts that were not mine at all.

The shade of red I turned must've been very impressive, because as Lissa's fingers danced over the bandages, she chuckled again.

"You're obviously not that experienced."

I gulped, "What gave it away?"

"Well?" Lissa put a finger to her chin as she paused in her work, "You went from a pinkish color, to a red color, then to a very, very red color. Borderline purple. Were you holding your breath at all?"

I slowly shook my head.

"Hm." Lissa nodded before she started to undo the bandages over my right side, "I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised. Not a lot of time to engage with the ladies when you are surviving on your own, right?"

"R-right." I stammered.

My face turned from dark red, to ghost pale as the last bandage was pulled away. There were still splotches of red staining my skin. A hideous, purple line of lumpy flesh ran up my side, from hip to rib. Yellow and purple bruises were splattered all over that side like an abstract painting.

"Not bad." Lissa muttered, "Maybe one more healing session will be needed, but I think we can hold off for now. We'll see how the elixirs do." She tossed the bandages towards the basket. She missed it, but did not seem to care, "I'll put some fresh ones on now. And I won't layer them up as much." She moved to the nightstand and withdrew a fresh roll of gauze from one of the drawers, "Sit up. Gotta help me out here, Sam."

I winced as I tried to force myself upright. Every muscle in my torso flexed at the same time. A whimper of pain escaped my lips.

Lissa placed her gentle hand on both my shoulder and chest then helped me prop myself upright.

"You'll get stronger, don't you worry about that." She hummed before starting to wrap the bandages in several, thinner layers around my side, "Take another swig of that elixir. That should help."

I obeyed and choked down a third of the bitter-tasting liquid once again. A long breath left my lips when I pulled the bottle away and smashed the cork back into it.

A wave of warmth ran over my body. Some of the aches, pains, and stiffness subsided. If I had to compare it to anything, I'd compare it to taking way too much ibuprofen. Like, way more than the bottle says you are supposed to. But damn does it do the trick when you need it. I glanced down at the nearly empty bottle in my hand.

"That stuff works too good."

Lissa snorted, "Laurent and Miriel do a good job with it, that's for sure." She tied off the bandages and shoved the rest of the roll back into the drawer. She then stared at me for a moment, "So, the next topic of business. Firstly, that nasty gash wasn't the only wound you received." She gestured at my ear, "An arrow nicked your ear. That was an easy fix. Healing staff sealed that right up."

I blinked. She healed my ear?

_No wonder I'm hearing better on that side._

"Next, Frederick and the others informed me that they found you alone with a dog in the Southtown ruins." Lissa leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the other, and folded her hands in her lap, "Freddy, if he were to have his way at the moment, would question you as to why you were in that place to begin with and how you managed to survive so long. But, Laurent and Noire stopped him by reminding him, and informing me, that you apparently have some strange case of amnesia. Am I correct?"

Oh right, that little white lie. I almost forgot about that one. It was a lie I intended to keep going for at least a little while longer. I mean, there is no way in hell anyone would believe me if I started spouting off that I was from another world and that all of these people, and the world they inhabited, were nothing more than a game I played for my amusement. That their lives were nothing more than fantastical stories made to entertain people in my world. I sure as shit would not believe that if I were in their position. And in my mind, why open that can of worms right now when literally no one knew or trusted me.

Once again, I played along, and just nodded my head.

"You just know your name?" Lissa continued.

I nodded again, "It's um… Sam uh… Wheeler. Samuel Wheeler."

Lissa tilted her head a little bit, "Wheeler? A surname then? That's actually a little surprising. I don't think you are nobility of any sort. And usually a surname is a noble thing to have." I cursed myself mentally, "Interesting." She gave me an amused look, "Now you look like I just threatened your life." She chuckled, "Don't be so worried, Sam. You are among friends here. Especially after what you did in the forests to the south."

I furrowed my brow in confusion, "After what I-" I pursed my lips, "C-can you give me a reminder about what exactly I did?"

Lissa blinked, "Oh? You don't remember? Well, I suppose that's not uncommon. Not many people would want to remember how they almost died. But if you do want to know, you saved Severa's life. Took an ax for her in fact." A slight frown graced her usually cheerful face, "She should be up here thanking you, now that I think about it." Her fingers tapped against her leg, "I'll get her to do it in a little bit."

"Y-you," I laughed a little to myself, "You don't have to make her do anything."

"Nonsense, of course I can make her do anything. For one, I'm practically her surrogate mother. And for two, I am the ruling Exalt. What I say goes, ha!" She snorted and laughed lightly again, "Don't worry, I'm not that crazy. Severa really should be up here thanking you. But… since she is not, I will extend my thanks for her."

I gave Lissa a small smile. Somehow she managed to calm my nerves down in that moment. I'm not sure if it was just a healing aura she gave off, or her carefree manner that calmed me down, but whatever it was worked. Any panic I had over the past few… hours? Days? Uh…

"It was not a problem." I muttered back before clearing my throat, "How long was I out?"

Lissa thought for a moment, "Well, you and the others were rescued Wednesday night, now it is Saturday so… that'd be about four days."  
My jaw hung open. Lissa gave me a grin.

"And you must be hungry."

I nodded dumbly. She extended a hand.

"Come on, I'll help you out. We'll get some food in that gut of yours now."

For such a small lady, she had some strength in her arms. Lissa was easily able to haul me up to my feet. She managed to steady me as my legs shook and knees knocked during my first couple steps. Once I managed to find my balance, she guided me towards the door. Just as we reached the door, Frederick returned.

"Milady, I was not able to find your healing staff. Perhaps you left it-"

"Don't need it," Lissa replied as we brushed past him.

I did not look back to see the perplexed, borderline frustrated look on the Knight's face. Because I'm pretty sure that if I did, bad things would happen. Most likely directed at me.

* * *

_How on earth can a medieval kitchen make a ham sandwich I actually like?_ I thought as I took another large bite from the sandwich in my hands.

I currently sat outside in the Exalt's Palace courtyard. Lissa said I needed to get some fresh air since I had been cooped up indoors, in a comatose state, for four days. Sunshine would do me some good. Help me feel refreshed and relaxed. So once we visited the palace kitchens, got some food from a particularly grouchy, old, cook, she shooed me out to a bench in the courtyard then scrambled off to go handle Exalt business or something along those lines. She wasn't very specific about what she had to do.

Not that she needed to be specific with someone like me. I was a stranger who happened to survive a Risen attack and (through an act of idiotic bravery) took an ax to the side for someone I had just met. Exalt's, royalty in general, did not have to be bothered with giving me an explanation about anything. Honestly, I was mostly flattered that Exalt Lissa even gave me the time of day. You'd think someone as important as her would-be busy dealing with pressing kingdom issues like taxes, the harvest, the fact that undead monsters prowl the land. Mundane stuff like that.

I took another bite of my sandwich and let out a very happy hum. Usually, I do not like ham sandwiches. Mostly because of… we'll call it bad experiences with them. Maybe I was just starving (obviously, I have been unconscious for four days), or perhaps a medieval kitchen made their ham a certain way, but my god, this thing was the most delicious sandwich I have ever had in my life.

_How do they season it?_

I went to take another bite then paused as I heard a strange, loud ringing coming from somewhere nearby. I furrowed my brow and waited for a moment. The ringing ended. With a shrug, I moved to take another bite.

A loud clank, more ringing, and a shouted curse nearly caused me fumble my sandwich into the grass at my feet.

"What the hell?" I muttered as I strained to hear where the noises were coming from. But when that didn't work, I got up, winced as my muscles groaned due to the sudden strain of moving, and trudged my way across the courtyard, following the sound.

I felt like I limped a mile before I finally reached the source of the sound. Christ almighty, the Palace had a massive courtyard. It was almost like it wrapped around the massive building. I paused and sucked in a deep breath. A sudden wave of weariness slammed into me.

 _I got to sleep for four days and all of a sudden I can't walk now?_ I exhaled and rose back to my full height.

I walked a little further, all the way around the palace until I reached what looked like a stable near the main gate. The courtyard was nowhere near as well manicured near the stable. The grass was patchier, with weeds sprouting all over and dirt patches littering the area. Deep gouges marred the otherwise flat land. I noticed a few practice dummies made of burlap and straw, wearing wooden armor, lined up on stakes near the stable, and a smaller builder built along the palace wall.

Then I noticed a small group of people in front of those practice dummies. Four people in fact. The first was a young teenage girl with dark blue hair wearing a set of bright steel armor with a skirt covering her upper legs. A bright smile rested on her pale lips as she bounced up and down on a bench and watched two others fight in front of her.

Beside her sat a guy who looked a few years older than her. He had dark brown hair that appeared to be receding a little bit, a scar over his left eye, and an overall disgruntled look on his face. Tattered, mottled robes covered his body. A strange staff leaned up against his body as he lounged back in his seat and observed the two fighters dueling in front of him.

The two fighters were sights to behold. The first was a young man with bright, blonde hair. He was an athletic, but shorter guy, wearing what appeared to be some light leather armor. He fought with a wide grin and boundless energy. Whenever he struck at his opponent, he would quickly retreat, bouncing on his toes and laughing as he went. Which frustrated the tank of an opponent in front of him.

That tank wore a massive set of heavy armor that covered everything except her head. And I could tell it was a her because the armor still sported accentuated… shall we say certain protections near the general chest area? She was taller than her opponent, and possibly stronger because she wielded an unwieldy looking shield that was nearly as tall as she was and a spear that nearly reached her opponent as he scampered back again.

"Stand still, Owain!" The woman in heavy armor growled.

"Tis not in my nature to remain still, Kjelle!" Owain declared before dashing forward and slashing at her.

Kjelle growled as his sword bounced harmless off of her massive shield. She snarled as she shoved her spear forward, only for the much nimbler Owain to bounce to the side and avoid the blow.

"Gods above, this dodging crap is getting annoying!" Kjelle snarled.

"You can do it, Kjelle!" The girl with blue hair cheered as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Yeah… you can… aw hell," The guy with the staff snorted, "Kjelle, you have as much of a chance catching Owain as Inigo actually has of gettin' laid."

"Har! I shall prove you wrong!" Kjelle declared before rushing forward with surprising speed.

She bashed her shield against a stunned Owain, causing the smaller boy to stagger backward. Kjelle then snapped the butt of her spear out and caught Owain by the ankle, tripping him and sending him sprawling into the dirt. The guy with the staff howled with laughter as Owain tried to scramble away only for Kjelle to jab the point of her spear beneath his chin.

"Told ya," Kjelle remarked as she glanced over at her two observers.

Owain sagged once Kjelle removed her lance from beneath his chin, "Well fought, oh mighty Kjelle. It appears that the fell sword hand of mine has yet to match your prowess in combat."

"Mhmm, don't forget it." Kjelle hummed as she leaned her spear up against the wall of the small, squat building and reached for a skin of water held out to her by the blue-haired girl. As she sipped on the water, she glanced around. That is when she noticed me.

As soon as those brown eyes landed on me, I froze. What do I do? I have just been watching them fight each other, didn't say a word, didn't even say that I was there. Was that awkward for me to do? I don't know. All I know was that Kjelle was giving me a rather suspicious glare. And if she was anything like she was in the game, then I did not want to end up pissing her off.

She nudged the guy with the staff.

"What?" The guy grunted, mildly annoyed.

"Who's he?" Kjelle nodded in my direction.

"Hm?" The guy looked over at me, "Aw hell." He spat into the dirt and got to his feet, "That's sleeping beauty. And he ain't supposed to be up and about like this."

"Sleeping beauty?" Cynthia said, puzzled.

"Tis the man who saved Severa's life by nearly giving his own!" Owain declared.

Before any of them could stop him, and before I could make a very slow escape, Owain marched up to me.

"Welcome friend. Comrade, I should say, given that you have already shed blood for us." Owain took my hand and shook it with a wide grin, "Come and join us Sir…?"  
"Sam," I replied simply, still unsure of how to handle the situation.

"Sam, a hero's name!" Owain wrapped an arm around my shoulders and, in a surprisingly forceful way, guided me towards the other three, "May I present to you all, brave hero Sam! Sam, may I present-"

"Quit the flowery words crap. It gets confusing." The guy with the staff spat into the dirt again, "Name's Brady. I saved your ass. That's all ya need to know."

I blinked, "Wait you-"

"Don't pay him any mind; he's an asshole to everyone." Kjelle said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm Kjelle, I also saved your ass. And you're welcome."

"You guys saved asses without me?" The blue-haired girl cried, aghast. She folded her arms and frowned, "No fair."

Brady snorted, "That there is Cynthia." He nudged her with his knee, "Ya gonna say hi or not?"

"Of course I am!" Cynthia stuck her tongue out at Brady, "You just haven't given me the chance." She then smiled sweetly at me, "Hi, I'm Cynthia."

"He already knows that." Kjelle sighed.

"Well, I'm telling him now." Cynthia folded her hands and straightened her posture, "It is a proper introduction, as Auntie Maribelle would say."

Brady groaned and rubbed at his eyes, "Would you please not bring up Ma right now?"

"Why?" Kjelle snorted, "In her doghouse again?"

"What do you think?"

"Friends," Owain cut them off, "We should not trouble brave Samwise."

_Samwise? Am I a hobbit all of a sudden?_

"We should instead, give him a chance to introduce himself. And upon doing so, we should ask increasingly invasive questions so that we know for certain he is a hero and not an enemy in disguise!" Owain finished.

"I'm sorry, what?" I remarked.

"Oh, yeah! He could be playing us. Sir Frederick always tells us to be vigilant." Cynthia nodded along, "And we must remain vigilant in order to avoid getting hurt."

Kjelle raised her eyebrow, "I doubt this guy could hurt a chipmunk. I mean look at him. I could wrap just one of my hands around his entire arm."

"Could be a mage." Brady shrugged.

"Oh! Are you?" Cynthia asked, starry-eyed.

"I-"  
"Are you seriously excited about a possible enemy mage in our midst?" Owain asked Cynthia, frowning a little bit, "You know that he could be very dangerous if he is one."

I frowned, "Would you let me-"

"You're the one that went up and shook his hand without knowing his name." Cynthia pointed out.

"I happened to be executing a perfectly normal strategy that Morgan would refer to as, lowering the guard." Owain retorted.

Kjelle pinched the bridge of her nose. She tapped Brady's shoulder, "You got any of the stuff?"

"Yup." Brady reached into his robes and withdrew a small, metal flask. He took a long sip from it then passed it to Kjelle, "At the rate they're going, we're gonna need it."

Kjelle took a long gulp from the flask as Owain and Cynthia continued to bicker. I tuned out the bickering, mostly because it devolved from arguing about how dangerous I, an enemy mage in service to the Fell Dragon, was and turned into calling each other meanie and other insults. Some insults Owain said I could not make sense of and likely only ever heard in that one medieval Monty Python film.

I felt metal tap against my chest.

"Here." Kjelle held out the flask to me, "For the soon to be arriving headache."

I arched an eyebrow and gingerly took the flask. I was not sure what exactly was in it. I mean, I knew it was alcohol of some sort, I could smell it. And it smelled damn powerful. But was it bourbon? Rum? Vodka? Did they even have those in this medieval place?

 _Not like it really matters._ I thought as I took a swig of the stuff.

Burning! Lots of burning! It felt like I just took a shot of rubbing alcohol. I jerked the flask away from my lips and let out a loud wheeze. Sputtering coughs erupted from my chest as I struggled to catch my breath. Both Kjelle and Brady chuckled beside me.

"He ain't used to this stuff," Brady remarked as he took the flask back from my outstretched hand.

"No kidding." I wheezed and coughed into my sleeve, "What the hell is that?"

"Pure Feroxi Firewine." Brady remarked, "Nicked it from Ma and Pa's supply." He gulped, "Come to think of it, that's probably why Ma is mad at me today."

"Probably." Kjelle nodded.

"Agreed!" Both Owain and Cynthia cried loudly, startling all three of us with both their loud shout and the sudden end to their argument.

Owain turned to me, "So, Sam, may we ask how you came to be in the same company as our friends Severa, Laurent, and Noire?"

I blinked, "Oh well um-"

I thought about it for a moment. I needed to be vague, but not too vague. Once I mentioned that I was in the ruins of Southtown all on my own, there would be a flurry of questions that I did not know how to answer at the moment. With that in mind, I proceeded in my blatantly blurry truth-telling.

"Your friends and Sir Frederick rescued me from a Risen attack, along with a dog that I recently found." I answered, "I decided to stick around them since they, you know, had weapons and stuff."

Kjelle raised her brow, "You were out in the wild without a weapon?"

Brady whistled low, "You're either ballsy or just plain stupid."

I bristled, "Well, it's not like I even know how to use one so what good would one do me?"

Owain drew back in surprise, "Are you saying you do not know how to wield a sword?"

"Or a lance?" Cynthia continued.

"Can't even swing a club?" Brady questioned before knocking back another sip of firewine.

"Well, I probably could swing a club. But you all tell me how much good a club will do against one of those monsters?"

Kjelle snorted, "Fair point. I doubt you could even dent their armor." She punched my arm, nearly knocking me over, "Seriously, nothing but skin and bone there."

 _You try living off of Ramen Noodles and Mcdonald's dollar menu. Then you can let me know how much muscle you put on._ I thought to myself.

A sharp whistle pierced the air. Kjelle froze, Owain sucked in a sharp breath, and Cynthia quickly stood up from where she sat. Brady just sagged and hung his head.

"Fuck me; he's back," Brady muttered under his breath.

Sir Frederick marched towards us, hands clasped behind his back, stern gaze focused on all five of us as we remained motionless next to the bench. He came to a stop in front of Owain and Kjelle, one eyebrow raised as he observed the scuffs in Kjelle's armor and the stains on Owain's clothes.

"Fighting again I see?" He remarked.

"T-training, sir." Kjelle gulped.

"Indeed." Owain nodded.

Frederick hummed. His eyes never left us as he moved around me and Kjelle and reached for Kjelle's spear, still leaning up against the wall. He tossed it in his hand, easily catching it once again. As if the thing weighed nothing at all. A long frown came over his face as he observed the tip of the spear.

"What have I told you all about fighting with sharpened weapons?"

Owain and Kjelle paled.

"To not do it." Owain kicked at the dirt near his feet, not raising his gaze to meet Frederick's.

"Sir, the training weapons are different than our own and-"

"And nothing, Kjelle." Frederick cut her off, "One wrong move, and one of you could have been killed. I better not see something like this again." He set the spear back up against the building, "Both of you will be scrubbing the barracks bathhouse top to bottom tonight as punishment for your dangerous actions."

Both Owain and Kjelle groaned. Brady started to snicker at their despondent reactions.

"Brady, I shall inform your mother that you did not try to stop them."

Brady turned white as a sheet.

"And Cynthia…" Frederick eyed the young girl. She gulped under his intense glare, "Your Aunt Lissa will not be pleased with you. You'll join Kjelle and Owain in cleaning tonight. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," Cynthia mumbled.

Frederick nodded silently. He turned to me and placed me under the same, intimidating glare he had given the others.

"Did you see them doing this?"

Sweat beaded on my brow. I swallowed nervously. Before I could reply, Brady cleared his throat.

"Sir, he just arrived and-"

Frederick glanced at him, and Brady quickly shut up. He returned his gaze to me. I stared up at him.

_Why do you have to be so damn tall?_

"Well?" Frederick asked.

I gulped and opened my mouth to answer.

"Freddy, don't lay into the guy so much."

Frederick let out a long sigh. Meanwhile, I thanked God someone decided to interrupt us. But who was this someone that decided to mercifully spare me Frederick's interrogation?

Frederick turned around to greet an orange-haired man lazily strolling up to us. A long, lollipop stick dangled from the corner of his mouth and a small grin rested on his lips. There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that made me feel both at ease, and for some reason, slightly wary around him. But judging by his attire (light clothing with a dark cloak over his shoulders and a black headband over his forehead), and the rainbow lollipop he pulled from his mouth as he sauntered up to Frederick, this had to be Gaius.

Frederick took in a deep, calming breath, "Gaius." He greeted cooly.

Gaius winced, "Geez, big guy." He patted Frederick's chest as he walked by the taller man, "No need to be so cold. We're friends, aren't we? Unless you're upset that I interrupted your interrogation."

"I am not upset that you interrupted me." Frederick looked at me again, "I can always continue later."

"Yeah, you can." Gaius nodded, "By the way, Twinkles sent me to find you. Said something about needing some muscles. Don't know why. But Crackpot can't do it cause, well, you know. So she needs ya."

_Twinkles? Crackpot?_

Frederick sighed, "Very well." He eyed all five of us again, "I will be back later to make sure you carry out your punishments."

And he strode away, as stiff as ever. But once he was out of sight, all of my new friends visibly relaxed. Any tension in the air evaporated away as Gaius gave me a mischievous grin.

"Knew that'd get rid of him." He said before glancing at Kjelle and Owain, "But he ain't wrong. Both of you need to be smarter than that."

"You were watching the entire time?" Kjelle said, mouth agape.

"And you're surprised because?"

"You could have stopped us!" Owain declared.

Gaius shrugged, "Yeah, I could have." He stuck the lollipop back into his mouth, "But then I would've missed the looks on your faces when Freddy caught ya."

Kjelle uttered a frustrated growl, grabbed her spear, and marched to, what had to be, the barrack's door.

"No honor among thieves." She grumbled as she threw the door open and marched in.

"I take that as a compliment, and you aren't a thief." The door slammed and Gaius shrugged, "What's with her today? Oh well. Come on kids. Let's get scarce before Freddy finds out I just lied to him."

Owain and Cynthia's jaws fell open.

"Oh don't look at me like that, he probably already suspects I lied. But he doesn't know for certain." Gaius pointed out, "And, because I invoked little lady Twinkles, he is duty-bound to go check on her… all the way in the market district. So we've got some time to relax inside."

He waved for us to follow him into the barracks. Once we all got indoors, he quietly shut the door behind us.

The barracks common room was a cozy space. A small, stone fireplace sat nestled into a wall near a hallway, and a bar counter ran along the wall to the door's left. A hodgepodge of different chairs and tables littered the open floor. Some fur rugs lined the stone floor. It gave off a warm feeling once we walked in. A feeling that calmed my nerves a great deal.

"You said Ma was at the market?" Brady commented as he moved across the room and flopped into a big, red felt chair.

"Yup." Gaius moved to the fireplace and threw a few logs into it while I took a seat on a leather sofa. Cynthia flopped down next to me, "Said something about going to buy some healing stuff from Red."

"Anna's back in town!?" Cynthia asked, excited.

Gaius nodded, "Hopefully for a while." He grabbed a flint and steel and easily sparked a fire in the fireplace. Once the flames were burning warm and bright, he set the flint to the side and exhaled, "It's getting dangerous out in the wild nowadays."

"It's been dangerous for a long time now." Brady hummed, "Just ask Sam."

"Hm?"

_Real intelligent reply there, Sam._

"Sam?" Gaius looked over at me as he sat down in a wooden chair. He pointed at me, "That's your name?"

I nodded.

"You're the one Freddy and friends found half-dead in the woods?"

I nodded again, "Apparently. Although, I wasn't half-dead when they found me initially. That happened thanks to a dumb decision on my part."

"You think saving Sev's life was a dumb decision?" Cynthia asked.

I opened my mouth to reply. Then I froze when I saw the hurt, borderline tearful, expression on Cynthia's face.

"I uh… well… you tell me how smart it is to jump in front of an ax?"  
"Not very." Brady hummed, "Lucky your even breathing. But still, if it wasn't you, it would've been Sev. So thanks."

"Uh… your welcome?" I replied.

"It was a selfless act of heroism, good Samwise." Owain nodded emphatically as he sat at a barstool and reached for a glass and bottle behind the counter, "One that should not be belittled nor forgotten!"

"Yeah, uh, sure," I said back.

"Heat of the moment sort of thing?" Gaius asked me as he took off his cloak and flung it over an empty chair.

"I guess."

Gaius nodded, "It happens. Just be glad you survived it." He shifted his lollipop over to the inside of his other cheek, "So, Sam, where ya from?"

"Um-"

"He don't remember." Brady answered for me, "Laurent told me while I was treating him on the road that he's got some sorta amnesia going on."

"Really?" Gaius remarked, "Did you hit your head too hard on something?"

 _Oh you have no idea._ I thought as images of a bus screaming towards me came to mind.

Gaius shrugged, "Well, no point in asking you questions you can't answer. So I guess we'll just get to know you from here." He placed his hands behind his head and leaned his head back, "Any of you guys know when the others are getting back?"

"You mean Luci, Morgan, and the others?" Cynthia asked.

"Who else?" Gaius hummed as he closed his eyes.

"No clue." Brady sighed, "They've been gone for some time. I know Ma and Pa are getting worried about them."

"My father is by their side. No greater swordsman exists in the Halidom." Owain declared as he jumped from his seat, glass of firewine in hand, "And Kjelle's mother stands by their side as well. Our friends are safe and sound, I assure you."

"I hope so." Cynthia muttered, "The Justice Cabal wouldn't be the same without Morgan."

I arched an eyebrow, confused.

"Who's gone?" I asked.

Gaius pulled a stool close to him with his foot, then kicked his feet up onto it, "Princess Lucina, Morgan, Gerome, Inigo, Mister Super Swordsman, Padre, and Butch."

"I heard that!" Kjelle roared from down the hall. She emerged from the hallway, no longer wearing her armor, but instead a tight-fitting black shirt and tan pants, "And if mother heard you call her that, she'd knock your lights out."

"If she could catch me." Gaius snorted back while Kjelle sat down in the chair to my right.

"Give her one chance, and she will. Mark my words one day, she'll get you." Kjelle huffed. She turned her attention to me. The door to the barracks opened then closed "So Sam, why'd you save Severa?"

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, a different voice cut me off.

"I'd like to know the answer to that one too," Severa said as she stomped past the bar and flopped into a large, leather chair close to the fire.

Gaius grinned at Severa, "Nice of you to join us, Sevvy."

"Don't call me that." She snapped quickly.

"It is quite the conundrum attempting to deduce your irrational actions, Samuel."

I turned my head around and saw Laurent take a seat at the bar. Walking in with him was-

"Holy crap he made it." I breathed.

That black dog I befriended in Southtown barked then rushed up to me, burrowing his nose in my lap as his tail wagged rapidly.

"Aw, he's so cute!" Cynthia smiled. She reached out and pet his head, "A friend of yours?" She asked me.

"New friend," I replied. I scratched the dog behind his dark ears. Now that he wasn't covered in dirt and grime, I could see that he looked almost like a German Shepherd. But that wouldn't be name of that breed of dog in a place where Germany did not exist, "I see you guys cleaned him up."

"Yeah…" Severa muttered barely over her breathing, "Your welcome."

I glanced up at the disgruntled redhead, quite surprised by her actions. She noticed my stunned look and rolled her eyes.

"You saved my life, I washed your dog. We'll call it even."

"Are you saying the value of your life is equal to a dog wash?" I asked with a wry smirk.

Her cheeks reddened with both frustration and embarrassment, "Well no- I just-" She uttered a loud huff and folded her arms, "Just accept the thank you gesture, damn it."  
I chuckled to myself, "I accept. And your welcome too." He looked back at my canine friend, "Hm… what to name you?"

"I suggested naming him Vaike but Laurent didn't take too kindly to that name."

"My father was not a canine, Severa." Laurent hummed.

"He acted like one sometimes." Gaius snickered, "And had the same intelligence as one too." He sighed, "I miss that lout."

I raised an eyebrow, briefly confused by Gaius's sudden melancholy. Then I recalled Lissa mentioned she was Severa's surrogate mother.

 _This is the bad future._ I reminded myself. A sobering thought hit me, and my chest tightened. I glanced at the mix of teens and young adults around me. _Some of their parents are probably long gone by now._

"He's really happy." Cynthia said as she kept scratching the dog's ear, "I say we name him Happy!"

"That's dumb name, Cynthia," Severa mumbled.

"Nay, I say it is a swell name!" Owain cried, "As long as that dog remains with us, happiness shall always remain. For we now have Happy by our side."

I looked back down at the dog. Just a few days ago, it had bloody teeth barred at me and probably wanted to rip my throat out. But now, it wagged its tail and rested its head in my lap as I ran my fingers through its fur. Just the image of the vicious dog combined with the name Happy made me chuckle.

"Sure, why not." I laughed, "Happy it is."

"Yay!" Cynthia cheered before sliding down from her chair and wrapping the dog in a big hug.

The door to the barracks opened. A rush of cool air burst in. Both Kjelle and Brady paled.

"Shit." Brady gulped.

"Brady Roderick Themis!"

Judging by the proper, yet furious tone, the clacking of heels on the stone floor, and the abject look of terror on Brady's face, I knew exactly who just barged into the barracks. Sure enough, a rush of pink and blonde stormed past me and towered right over a cowering Brady.

And for such a small lady, she had an enormous presence. Even though she was across the room from me, I felt like her anger was directed just as much at me as it was at Brady.

"H-hey M-ma."

Maribelle cracked him over the head with a pink parasol.

"Mother!" Brady howled, correcting himself.

"I cannot believe you would so willingly allow your friends to endanger themselves so!" Maribelle exclaimed as she tucked her parasol beneath her arm and wagged a finger in Brady's face, "If you think you Sir Frederick's punishment would be severe, then you have another thing coming."

Maribelle gripped Brady's ear and yanked him out of his seat, through the common room, and marched him towards the door. She paused for a brief second beside me. Her sharp eyes darted at me.

"Good, you're awake." She eyed Brady, "Did he inform you as to what happened?"

"Uh… yeah." I gulped, "And I thanked him."

"He did, Mother. Honest." Brady said quickly before wincing as her grip on his ear tightened.

"Good," Maribelle said before dragging Brady to the door, where Frederick lingered. As they exited, I heard Maribelle say one last thing to Brady, "Wait until your father hears what you did. The nerve you have to-"

The door shut. All eyes, except Gaius's, turned to Frederick.

"Damn, Freddy." Gaius hummed as he kept his eyes closed and leaned back comfortably in his chair, "You got to her fast."

"I met her halfway to the markets."

Gaius cracked an eye open, "On her way back home already? Anna must've said something she didn't like then. No wonder she came tearing in here like a bat from hell. Poor Brady, he's even more screwed now than before." He turned his attention to Kjelle and Owain, "Sorry, kids, I tried to give you more time."

"All of you start working," Frederick ordered.

"Yes sir!" Cynthia, Kjelle, and Owain said all at once before rushing down the hall.

Severa furrowed her brow as she watched all three scramble away.

"What did I miss?"

"Some funny shit." Gaius chuckled, "Right, Sammy?"

_At least it's not Samwise._

"I guess." I shrugged.

Frederick did not say a word as he took a seat in the spot where Kjelle had been sitting. His eyes darted to the dog panting next to me.

"I see you've reunited with your friend," Frederick said.

"Yup." I nodded, "Say hi to Happy."

Frederick said nothing. Instead, he just gave me a weary look. Gaius snorted beside him.

"Looks like Freddy could use a little more Happy in his life."

Severa snickered. I chuckled. Laurent spat out some of his drink as he struggled to contain his own laughter. Frederick simply sighed and shook his head.

"I need to make sure that those three actually clean." A loud crash came from down the hall. Cynthia and Owain's bickering followed it, "And make sure they don't try to kill each other."

"Have fun babysitting, Freddy." Gaius said as Frederick marched down the hall. Gaius rolled his head and looked at me. One of his hands dug into his pocket and tossed me a lollipop, "Enjoy." He smiled at me, "And welcome aboard."

I gave him a confused look, "What?"

Severa rolled her eyes, "Frederick didn't kick you out of the barracks." She explained, "So that means… you're in with us. Probably thanks to Aunt Lissa." She then muttered some more under her breath, "And probably because you did something brave, not like that really matters."

"I'm in what?"

And there is my oh so quick brain showing up right on time.

Gaius smirked, leaned his head back again, and closed his eyes.

"Eat the candy and enjoy it kid. Cause Freddy is gonna start teaching ya a thing or two." He smirked at me as my stomach dropped, "And there is no candy allowed in his training course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! Not as action packed as the last two chapters, but still an extremely fun chapter for me to write. We were introduced to a ton of characters this chapter, so there was a lot of juggling to do. I hope I did a decent enough job at that.
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!  
> ANd come join the Treehouse! Discord is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> Also, check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Stormtide Leviathan, Narwahl Lord, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts! You can find it on Spotify and on Soundcloud! Hope to see you all there!


	4. Frederick's Nearly Fatal Fitness Program

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start  
> Chapter 4  
> Frederick's Nearly Fatal Fitness Program

Sweat pooled all over my body. Large droplets of the stuff dripped down my face, soaked into my clothes, I could even feel sweat building up in my socks. Each step had an added squelching sound that, under any other circumstances, would have made me cringe. But I was too tired to do anything except trudge through the Palace Yard.

Why am I such a filthy, sweat riddled mess, barely strong enough to keep myself upright? Well, Frederick's training is utterly insane.

Now, I never considered myself an athletic person. There was a brief time during high school where I got into decent shape, but nothing spectacular. Then the joints gave, and at that point, I gave up on trying to look like a greek god and instead focused on making a living. I was only as skinny as I was thanks to an extremely poor diet that barely met the needs of my body but always left me feeling somewhat full. Thanks to that spectacular conditioning and the rubbery muscles on my bones, I was nowhere near prepared for the physical hell Frederick put me through.

First, it was the early wake-up. And I mean, early wake up. Back home, early was seven or eight o'clock in the morning. My job started at ten o'clock, and the bus usually left the station at nine, so I always managed to get a decent night's sleep no matter what time I fell asleep. Waking up at the asscrack of dawn was a completely different story. It must have been barely four in the morning when Frederick barrelled into the barracks bunk room, flicked some lanterns to life, and woke me up.

My first day of hell started with running. God, I hate running. I was not designed to run for miles and miles on end. Each agonizing stride made my ankles ache, my knees pop, and my feet hurt. And yet, despite my very vocal complaints, Frederick made me run around the Palace multiple times before calling me back into the yard.

At that point, I was already spent. My legs felt like jelly. I could barely get any air into my lungs. Then, in the words of Frederick, "The tough part begins."

I wanted to die.

Pushups, situps, squats, lunges, another couple of laps around the palace, then begin set two of physical activities. I must have vomited at least three times before noon. An impressive feat considering I just started eating solid foods again only a couple days ago (since my side was finally fully healed thanks to some magical go-go juice, and Exalt Lissa's healing staff).

After a quick lunch, Frederick continued my physical torture, this time turning the difficulty up by adding some weight to my exercises. That weight came in the form of some "light" chainmail strapped over my shoulders and chest. God, that crap must weigh at least twenty pounds. The fact that I felt lighter on my toes after it was taken off of my body, despite my exhaustion, told me how heavy that stuff really was.

And thanks to all of that exercise, the added weight, and my physical roadblocks, I barely managed to drag myself back into the barracks around sunset.

The door to the barracks slammed shut behind me. I let out a long, loud groan before sliding down the door and falling onto my ass. Every muscle ached as I touched the stone floor.

"Bad idea." I hissed, "Really bad idea."

A hand reached out to me. My weary eyes flicked up to see Owain offering me help. I took his hand, and the teen easily hauled me up to my feet. He caught me as I nearly pitched forward due to the sudden stiffness in my legs. A jovial laugh left the blond's lips.

"First days with Sir Frederick, good times!" He smacked a hand against my back, causing me to wince, "Twas just yesterday when I underwent the physical training the good Sir demands of us. And while I do not envy you, I will say, this torment you feel subsides and shall grow easier in time."

"You'll get used to it." Severa translated as she lounged in a chair near the fireplace, a book open in her lap.

A dry laugh left my lips, "Sure. Will my getting used to it come before or after I die?"

To my great shock, I heard a small, amused snort come from Severa as I carefully sat down on the leather sofa across from the fireplace.

"Probably after." She answered, then turned a page in whatever book she was reading.

"Nay! Sam is stronger than he gives himself credit for. He has to be if he survived for so long in the wild, all alone." Owain declared.

Paws barreled down the hall from the barracks bunk room. Happy tore into the room, black tail wagging, tongue hanging out. The massive dog jumped up onto me, eliciting a loud howl of pain from my lungs as his heavy body sat down right on my stiff, sore thighs.

"Geez, Happy!" I groaned before looking at him and scratching behind his ears, "I'm happy to see you too." I finally breathed.

Owain arched an eyebrow as Happy jumped off of my lap and sat down near my feet.

"He is certainly getting used to his new life." Owain mentioned as he moved to the bar and grabbed three glasses, "Tea Severa? Sam?"

"Sure." Severa shrugged, not raising her gaze from her book.

"Why not," I grumbled as I struggled to place my feet up on the table that sat between me and the fireplace.

"Boots." Severa reminded me.

I gave her a weary look, lowered my feet, then struggled to remove the boots from my feet. Boots that were given to me upon the official announcement by Frederick and Lissa that I would join the army's ranks and train. And, seeing as how this was likely my best possible option, and how I was not given a choice in the matter, I accepted those boots. While comfortable, I still missed my old motorcycle boots that I left in my apartment back home. For some reason, the leather of those boots felt softer than the leather on the boots given to me in this world.

Owain passed me a steaming cup of tea as I finally managed to yank my boots off. My nose wrinkled as I caught the stench of my feet.

"Ugh!" Severa gagged and covered her nose with her sleeve, "Please tell me someone is drawing you a bath."

I raised an eyebrow, "Someone does that for me?"

"If others lived in the barracks, probably." Owain mentioned, "But since no one is here, I shall assist you!" Without another word, he marched down the hall to the bathroom, where a wooden tub and a brush was waiting for me.

I remained seated, content with just resting a moment before forcing my body to move again. Happy whined next to me, compelling me to scratch his ears again. A fire crackled in the fireplace, which made the room not entirely silent. One of Severa's pages turned. I pursed my lips and glanced over at the oblivious redhead.

"Where are the others today?" I asked Severa, trying to break the silence in the room.

Her eyes darted up to me, "Kjelle is probably working with the outer wall sentries today." She answered, "Brady is still grounded." I snickered a little at that, "And Cynthia is probably learning the duties of court from Exalt Lissa at the moment."

"Sounds fun," I remarked.

"She doesn't think so." Severa replied, turning another page in her book, "Bores her to tears."

I nodded—that made sense. From what little I have interacted with Cynthia, she seemed to be the type that could not sit still or be quiet. Imagining her sitting at a desk listening to a lecture from a tutor or from Exalt Lissa herself nearly made me snicker quietly to myself. For someone who could not sit still, being forced to be quiet and just listen to someone talk at you must be one of the most boring things known to man.

I glanced around the barracks again, took a sip of my tea, hummed as it warmed my aching body, then pursed my lips.

"I live alone in the barracks?"

Severa blinked, "You haven't noticed?"

I looked over at the redhead, her attention now on me instead of her book. I could see the look on her face. A look that told me she thought I must be either oblivious or stupid. To be fair, I had my moments of the former. And this appeared to be one of those moments.

"Well," I cleared my throat and brought my cup to my lips, "Until this morning, I didn't wake up super early so…"

Severa rolled her eyes, "None of the other beds around you have been used, how could you not notice that?"

_I've been not noticing a lot thanks to being thrust into a new world I barely understand!_ I shouted back in my mind. But I held my tongue. A skill I have always been decent at, but have grown since arriving in Ylisse.

Severa shook her head, "Gawds, you're dense." She took a sip of her tea, "No one else lives in the barracks because everyone else has got a home in the city or in the palace."

I drew back in surprise. In the game, the barracks was where every Shepherd lived. Then again, this was the future for the game. A lot had to be different, what with the main characters having families and all. A family could not all share a barracks bunk.

"So where are they then?" I asked without thinking.

Severa gave me an annoyed look. Like my question should have an obvious answer, and she was irritated that she had to explain it to me.

"Gaius lives with his son Yarne outside of the walls." She explained, "Brady lives with his parents in the palace, along with myself, Owain, Cynthia, Lucina, Exalt Lissa, and Owain's father. Noire lives with her father at the Mage's Academy. Same with Laurent, he lives with his mother there. Gerome bunks up with either Kjelle and her mom, or Gaius and Yarne, depends on his mood. Nah stays at the church with Mr. Libra. And, to my shock and all of our misfortune, Inigo lives alone in what used to be his parents' house near the market district." She eyed me, still irritated, "Satisfied?"

I shrugged, "Could do with less venom, but hey, not my attitude."

Severa glared at me, "Why you-" She slammed her book shut, "I have half a mind to ask Sir Frederick to work you even harder tomorrow."

I sighed, "I think he already plans on doing that."

"Well, one word from me, and it can become a hell of a lot worse."

Before I could retort, the door to the barracks opened.

"Thought I'd find you here." Gaius chirped as he strolled in and jumped into his usual seat. Although, to my surprise, unlike usual, he was not alone. Behind him a half-man, half rabbit inched his way into the barracks. Each movement the creature made had a measure of jumpiness to it. Not in the bunny kind of way either, but in the fearful sort of way. As if he was afraid that every light brush of wind could kill him. Quite frankly, I could understand the feeling a little bit.

"Yarne…" Gaius sighed as the rabbit-man eyed me and Happy nervously, taking a seat as far away as possible, "Sam is just a regular guy."

"T-the d-dog isn't." Yarne stammered as he looked at Happy's panting face and gulped.

"That dog wouldn't hurt a fly." Gaius smiled over at Happy, "Isn't that right, boy?"

"He was found with a bloody muzzle, so you tell me." Severa hummed. Yarne shivered in his seat, eliciting a small chuckle from Severa, "You're too easy to spin up."

"I-I have to be!" Yarne shot back, "I-I carry my-my species existence on my shoulders. And m-most of my kind were hunted by dogs."

My eyes widened. I had forgotten about that. Before the Risen, Yarne's species, the Taguel, were hunted to near extinction. The game never delved into why or how other than dogs were used.

"Yarne, if you don't relax, you'll kill yourself with a heart attack." Gaius droned.

A strangled sound came from Yarne. Gaius massaged his eyes with his hand.

"Not like that will actually happen, Naga…" Gaius groaned a little bit, "Your mother would have a field day with you." He hissed just barely loud enough for me to hear before clearing his throat and turning to me, "So, Sammy, how'd day one with Freddy go?"

I gave him an exhausted look, causing Gaius to chuckle.

"Sounds about right." Gaius leaned back and placed his muddy, boot covered feet up on the table. This time, Severa said nothing about the boots, "How'd your day go, Sev?"

"Same as always." Severa breathed as she opened her book again and started reading, "Trained in the morning, did my chores, made sure Cynthia didn't hurt herself training… again."

"Oh?" Gaius remarked, "Did you actually go over to the Pegasi stables this time?"

Severa frowned, never taking her eyes away from the book, "No."

A disappointed expression crossed Gaius's face, "Oh… that's too bad."

"You know why I won't go over there," Severa muttered. She turned a page, paused, and turned it back over. As if she missed something on the previous page. As she moved the pages, I caught a glimpse of what she was reading.

"So, you enjoy studying Pegasus stuff?" I asked.

Her cheeks flushed red, "N-no, I-I-"

Gaius gave her a knowing grin, "You can just admit it, you know."

Severa uttered a furious growl, slammed the book closed, and jumped to her feet.

"I will not follow in my mother's footsteps!" She bellowed as Owain emerged from down the hall.

Severa stormed out of the barracks. All of our eyes, including Happy's, followed her. The door slammed shut with a massive wham, causing Yarne to jump in his seat.

"Yarne, it was just a door." Gaius sighed.

"C-can't be t-too careful."

I glanced over at the Taguel. The poor guy curled up like a ball in his chair. Legs tucked close to his chest so that they weren't on the floor where Happy could get to them. Owain sauntered over to him, gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, which only elicited a small jump from Yarne, before flopping down into Severa's empty chair. The blond glanced over at me.

"Bath's ready for you."

"Oh? Got Owain all trained up I see." Gaius chuckled, "Good job."

"He did it for me as a favor," I replied quickly. I winced as I struggled to get to my feet. Gaius watched, amused, as I staggered my way towards the barracks hallways.

"Soak in it for a bit." He advised with a shout as I drifted down the hall towards the bathroom, "I'll fetch ya a vulnerary or two. That should give you enough energy for tomorrow."

"Thanks!" I called back before entering the bathroom and shutting the door.

The first few days of my newfound life in a medieval world were interesting when it came to this part, the bathroom, that is. It turns out, Ylisstol had a primitive form of plumbing. Something similar to what I read in the history books about the Romans and Greeks way back in the day. I did not exactly know how it worked, but I was extremely grateful that I did not have to shit in a hole in the dirt.

However, the lack of a piping hot water, and a shower, bothered me. Call me privileged, but I like my hot showers. And I really missed them right about now. Back home, whenever I felt this sore, I would just stand in that stream of boiling water and let it ease the aches from my muscles and bones. But in Ylisse, the bathwater was, at best, room temperature. But, the longer I resided in this world, the more I recognized that I needed to just deal with the loss of modern luxuries.

That did not mean I had to enjoy the loss of them.

I quickly stripped out of my stinky, sweaty attire, and sank into the bathwater. To my great surprise, despite the lukewarm temperature, it felt amazing on my weary body. I let out a satisfied hum and let my head rest back against the edge of the tub. One eye glanced at the bar of soap, but I decided to hold off on scrubbing and just sit for a moment longer.

This training was going to be the death of me. I thought the first day was hard, but tomorrow was going to be even worse. I just knew it. Whenever I tried to get in shape in the past, day one hurt, but day two always hurt a lot more.

_Is this how soldiers feel when they go through basic training?_ I thought to myself.

It must be. And if this is how it feels, I am so glad I did not listen to my father and enlist out of high school. My mother and stepfather were right in that regard. I was not cut out for this shit.

My heart sank as my mind drifted to my parents. What was my mom doing right now? Did she know I was gone? It was not like I made an active effort to talk to, or even hang out with my parents. One parent I loved to be around, but neither of us were social butterflies. The other, my dad, was someone I wanted to avoid if I could. Was he worried at all? A part of me thought that he might not care at all. Me being gone might just be one last thing on his mind.

I shook my head, trying my best to rid my mind of those thoughts. I knew that if I got stuck thinking these thoughts, I would break down—something I could not afford to do right now. If I broke down now, the others would know, and I would have some explaining to do. At that point, I'd be on Frederick's shitlist. A place I did not want to end up on. Plus, if I broke down now, I wouldn't be able to think about how I could get out of this situation. How could I possibly return home?  
 _Do I want to go home?_

I blinked in surprise. That was the first time my brain thought of that question. Did I want to go back to my old life? Back to waking up at eight in the morning and doing my daily routine, going to work at a dead-end job that barely got the bills paid, never getting further in life despite my best efforts, and forever stuck in mediocrity.

Or did I want to stay here? Remain in medieval fantasy fun time land where death lingered around every corner. What could kill me tomorrow? Disease? A bad infection? Food Poisoning? A Risen attack? Frederick's training regimen?

My eyes drifted down to the now hardly noticeable pale line along my right side. I could still feel the pain of the Risen's rusted steel digging into my flesh. My throat bobbed, and I nodded to myself.

_I need to get back._

But how? That was the million-dollar question. Before I could even start thinking of the answers, the door to the bathroom opened. Owain sauntered in, not caring at all that I was stark naked in a bathtub.

"Owain!" I cried as I sank further into the water.

"Samwise! Sir Frederick just told me that you must hasten your cleaning because he wants you to have a full, healthy dinner. From what he said, you have barely any meat on your bones, and it is time that is fixed." Owain explained,

I remained quiet and stared back at Owain.

"Okay." I finally replied, trying my best to fend off the awkward silence. I glanced down at my bathwater, "Do you um- mind?"

Owain blinked. I noticed a slight tinge of pink wash over his cheeks, "Oh! Pardon me."

He quickly retreated out the door. Once the door clicked closed, I grabbed the bar of soap and started scrubbing. Through the thin walls of the barracks, I could hear some of the others showing up. The loudest voice of course being Cynthia as she squealed a greeting to Happy.

I stopped my scrubbing for a moment and glanced at the bathroom door, wondering if someone else was going to come barging in soon. That was when I remembered another missing luxury that I had back home.

_I miss locked bathroom doors._

* * *

I was sucking wind. For some reason, I couldn't catch my breath. No, scratch that, I knew the reason. Well, the mixture of reasons that is. Most of which involved what I have started calling Freddy's Fatal Fitness Program, because every time I trained with the Knight I felt like I wanted to die by the end of the day.

Let's see, why am I in pain today? Was it the earlier than usual wake up? Probably. Or perhaps the five mile warm-up run followed by pulling a sled with heavy stones on it for an hour. Most likely, that was the reason. My legs felt like rubber after that fun exercise. But honestly, I think the biggest reason I was having a hard time catching my breath was because I just took one, enormous punch to the solar plexus. A punch that left me sprawled flat on my back, gasping for air, with tears in my eyes.

I heard Frederick click his tongue at me.

"You need to move quicker, Sam." He scolded before reaching out a hand.

I eyed his gloved hand, "Move quicker?" I gasped, sucked in another sharp breath, grabbed his hand, then willed my exhausted body up, "Hard to do when I can barely move."

Frederick frowned at me, "You won't have the luxury of being well-rested on the battlefield. Get used to it."

I suppressed an eye roll. If Frederick thought I would last long enough to get tired on the battlefield, then he had way too much confidence in me.

For the first time since I started training under the intense knight, he had begun to teach me to defend myself. Basic martial arts, really. Simple punches, blocks, and kicks that would serve me well if I had no other means to fend off an enemy. I failed to see how my fists would hurt an undead monster, but I figured Frederick must be working on me in baby steps. The first step was breaking my body in half with relentless physical training, and the second step must be bruising my body by easily kicking my ass every five minutes.

Frederick nodded at me, snapping me free from my thoughts.

"Hands up." He ordered as he bounced on his toes.

I gulped and weakly raised my arms. As I waited for him to come at me again, I watched him bounce up and down like a jackrabbit in armor.

_How the hell does he do it?_ I thought as I watched him bounce on his toes like his armor weighed nothing at all. _Is he just that strong? How much does he work out when I'm not around?_ I pressed my lips together as I retreated into my thoughts again. _What kind of juice does he drink?_

I was so engrossed in those thoughts that I failed to notice the gloved fist flying at my nose. The fist slipped past my meager guard and slammed into my face with an enormous pop.

I howled and fell backward, both hands rushing up to my nose as my vision blurred, and my eyes watered. A warm, sticky substance seeped from my nostrils. I tore one hand from my nose and saw my fingers covered in red.

"Son of a bitch!" I cried.

Frederick stood over me, blocking the sun from my bleary eyes. A long frown rested over his face.

"You don't pay attention very well, do you?" He said as he looked down at me.

"Apparently not." I hissed back, more than a little angry, "Why the fuck did you hit me so hard?"

"I hardly touched you." Frederick sighed before stepping away and taking up his spot across from me in the yard again.

I propped myself up on my elbows, "Bullshit!" I spat and wiped some blood from my nose. A sharp pain rushed through my face as the back of my hand touched my bloody nostrils, "God, did you break my nose!?"

"If I broke your nose, you wouldn't be getting up already." Frederick remarked, "Now on your feet."

I hung my head for a moment. Did he want me on my feet again? Didn't he know I was too exhausted to fight back at this point? I glanced up at the sky and saw the sun sitting directly overhead. It wasn't even noon yet.

A long groan left my lips. I gingerly pushed myself back up to my feet. For a brief second, I gave the barracks door a longing expression. Laying in the shadow of the barracks, a fly buzzing around his ears, half asleep, was Happy. The dog opened one eye to look at me with pity before closing it and drifting off to sleep once again.

_Lucky bastard._

"Sam!" Frederick snapped.

I jumped at his sharp tone.

The Knight marched up to me. I found myself looking up at his harsh eyes, scrutinizing me relentlessly. Nervous sweat mixed with regular sweat as he towered over my shaking form once again.

"Pay… attention." He breathed.

I gulped, "Y-you know, no matter how many times you say it, at this rate, it probably won't happen."

A long sigh left his lips. He shook his head and turned around. I expected him to go back to his spot across the yard from me and ready himself to beat me again. But instead, he kept walking towards the palace doors.

"Uh…" I glanced over at Happy, who now lay on his back, fast asleep, "Fred- I mean- Sir Frederick?"

He paused and glanced back at me, "It's lunchtime." He answered simply before marching into the palace.

I blinked, "Oh." I relaxed where I stood. My breath rushed out of my lungs as relief washed over me, "A break… finally."

I moved to follow Frederick. After the second step, he spun around and charged at me.

_Oh fuck!_

He buried a fist into my gut. Pain rushed over my entire body. My bowels twisted, my heart surged to my throat, all of the air in my lungs rushed free, and my eyes practically rolled into the back of my head. I let out a weak, feeble wheeze then dropped to my knees. Hard coughs wracked my body as I rested on my hands and knees.

Before I could even start recovering from the first blow, a foot slammed into my side, sending me sprawling into the dirt. Hot pain flashed in my mind as I realized that foot hit the faint scar on my right side. My eyes squeezed shut as I rolled over onto my back, breathless, and in some of the worst pain I ever felt in my life.

"Exalt Lissa told me to train you." Frederick seethed over me, with anger in his eyes I had never seen before, "I told her it would be a waste of time. Someone like you is more likely to get yourself and others killed. And those others happen to be people I care a great deal about." He jabbed a finger down at me as I writhed in the dirt, "If you don't start taking this seriously, I will not hesitate to cut you loose. Ylisstol may be free of the Risen, but someone like you will not survive one day on your own. And I won't lose any sleep if that happens."

A gurgling sound slipped from my mouth as I tried to respond, but I lacked the air to do so. Frederick scowled down at me then stormed off to the palace. As I lay in the dirt, I heard the Palace doors open then slam shut.

I stopped writhing in pain after a couple more moments. My body still ached, I could still feel Frederick's fist buried in my gut, but the pain from that punch turned into a throbbing ache instead of a sharp, stabbing pain. I can deal with an ache.

Even as the pain faded, I did not bother trying to get up. I just laid still, staring up at white puffs of clouds drifting slowly across a brilliant blue sky.

When I was a little kid, I used to do this often. Go outside, lay down in the yard, and watch the clouds go by. Maybe count the number of airplanes that passed over my head. I'd often try to see the shapes of the clouds and conjure fantastical stories about those shapes. A cloud shaped like a triangle was a spaceship fighting an evil empire. A cloud that shot across the sky like an arrow was a rocket rushing up to the moon. If I saw one that looked like head and shoulders, I'd pretend it was a great giant staring down at me.

As an adult, I couldn't see those stories anymore. I couldn't live those stories anymore like I did as a kid. Everything became so serious and high stakes. Even something as simple as laying down and watching the clouds was not tolerated. And I was certain if Frederick came back out here and saw me still on my back, staring blankly at the sky, he would have my hide.

But at this point, I did not care. A nagging voice in the back of my mind replayed what he said to me over and over again, like some sick loop.

"Training me is a waste of time." I breathed.

He probably wasn't wrong. It has been over a week since I first recovered, and I had made precisely zero progress since starting my training under Sir Frederick the Intense. A week of hard exercise meant to strengthen my body and build me into a warrior that could help the Shepherds fend off the Risen horde.

_Some warrior I'm turning out to be._

Who am I kidding? Me, a warrior? Give me a break. I am a glorified messenger back home. A guy whose job was to knock on doors and see if someone would give me their phone number so the company I worked for could quote them on the cost of covering their yard in shit. Because shit makes the grass grow, or something like that. The closest I have ever been to a warrior in my old life was in seventh grade on a football field, and I got squashed. Ever since then, I knew my place was not in any sort of violence, and I was fine with that.

Until I was transported to a world built upon violence and desperation. Now, I had two options, according to Frederick: fight or die.

I shielded my eyes from the sun as its bright rays hit me.

_I'm no fighter._

Pants filled my ears. I blinked as Happy stooped over me, shielding me from the bright sun. His warm tongue licked at my face, causing me to utter a weak laugh.

"At least I got you to cheer me up." I breathed, scratching the underside of his chin.

"Gawds." My eyes shot wide open, "You are pathetic to look at."

I raised my head ever so slightly. Severa stood across from me where Frederick usually stood; arms crossed, the usual frown on her pale lips, a look of both annoyance and… was that pity I saw in her eyes?

_Honestly, I think even a Risen would pity me._

The redhead rolled her eyes and stormed up to me. Before I could say anything, she reached down and yanked me up by the front of my shirt.

"Get up already." She huffed. I quickly found my balance as she took a step back, "You can't just let Frederick beat you down like that."

"Pretty sure I can," I muttered back, rolling one shoulder as I felt it stiffen up.

Severa shook her head, "No, you can't. Because if you do, he will only be harder on you. And it will get worse until you break entirely, in which case…" She took a breath and lowered her voice, "You'll probably be sent away. Well, not away, away. But into the general populace."

I eyed Severa as she spoke. Some of her usual combativeness had faded as she explained the seriousness of my situation.

"Damn," I said with a slight chuckle, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually do care about me."

Her cheeks flushed, "Well, I- no- I don't!" She shook her head, "But you saved my life. I thought repaying that deed with a dog wash was enough. But then I thought about it, and you were right, my life is not worth a dog wash." She flipped one of her long, red pigtails back over her shoulder, "I'm worth a lot more than that."

I raised an eyebrow, "Humble much?"

"Shut up!" She shouted at me.

But unlike Frederick, it did not have the desired effect on me that she hoped for. I simply folded my arms and looked at her, mildly amused.

"You do realize I'm taller than you, right? Hard to be intimidated by-"

Her fist slammed into my gut. I wheezed and staggered a few steps back.

"Goddammit!" I hissed, "Always the fucking gut!"

She stormed back up to me as I remained doubled over. A triumphant smirk rested on her lips.

"Now, I'm taller."

"Ha ha." I wheezed back, "Did you just come over here to kick me while I'm down. Honestly, I might just leave before Frederick can break me just to save him the trouble."

"No, you won't!" Severa snapped back. She raised her hands in a guard in front of her head, "Get ready."

I raised an eyebrow, "What?"

One of her fists snapped out and tagged me on the chin, snapping my head back and nearly sending me flat on my ass again. I bit back a curse before glaring at her furiously. She flashed me a smirk and stood at the ready across from me.

"Not gonna let a little girl beat you up now, are you?" She taunted.

Something churned inside of me. Competitiveness I thought long gone, lost to the days of little league. For some reason, Severa's challenge both infuriated me, and caused some excitement to build up inside of me.

I recalled some days in my earlier childhood, back when my parents were still together, and my father took an active role in my life. Back then, he wanted me to learn Karate. So until I was eight, he took me to train in a karate class. Kempo to be exact. And while I never got very far, I still recalled bits and pieces. Not enough to match up against any trained fighter. But possibly enough to catch one by surprise.

I changed my stance to a simple, side stance. My left hand raised to guard my face, my right hand low, near my waist, ready to strike. Just like I remembered doing it as an eight year old. I got onto my toes, ignoring the sharp pain in my calves as I lightly bounced up and down. Severa gave me an intrigued look before dancing around me.

"Different." She muttered, "Let's see what you got."

She did not strike, which puzzled me. Instead, she kept bouncing in circles around me while I remained rooted in the same spot. Severa rolled her eyes.

"I said, let's see what you got." She huffed, "Gawds, are you really that slow?"

My right leg snapped out in a roundhouse kick that surprised even me. Severa was certainly caught off guard as the top of my foot slammed into her left shoulder. There was not as much force behind the kick as I would have liked, but it was enough to stagger the redhead moving around me.

_What do you know, Dad's lessons are still there. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing._

Severa winced and rolled her shoulder, "Alright… that's… alright."

I smiled triumphantly.

_Try taunting me now!_

A fist smacked into my jaw. Stars danced in my eyes, and I fell backward. My head swam as I found myself on my back once again. A haughty laugh came from Severa as she swept up to me and stood over me, a taunting smirk on her lips.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy being on the ground."

I snarled and moved to get up, only for her boot to shove me back down.

"Nope, I won." She said before stepping away from me.

I let my head fall back. A long groan came from my lips. As I struggled to get up, I noticed her dust off some dirt from the shoulder I managed to kick. She shook her head at me when I finally got to my feet, staggered to the side, then found my footing.

"Gawds, you really are bad at this."

Severa took a breath and started walking away to the palace. My eyes followed her, and to my shock, I also saw Frederick standing outside of the doors, watching me. Severa paused halfway to the doors. I saw a wince flash over her face. She rolled her shoulders and muttered something I barely heard over the soft breeze.

"Not a bad kick."

I remained completely silent as she moved past Frederick and stepped into the palace. Once she was gone, Frederick calmly descended the white, stone steps and moved back into the yard. I expected him to start scolding me again. I could already hear it.

" _Why didn't you follow me in to eat lunch?"_

" _You need to keep your strength up if you even hope to survive my training."_

" _You let Severa beat you so easily, just get out of my sight already."_

I braced for the biting words. Frederick stood silent in front of me. I flinched as one of his arms moved, then relaxed as I noticed an uneaten sandwich in his hand.

With a slight amount of hesitation, I took the sandwich.

"Ham or turkey?" I asked.

Frederick sniffed, "Roast beef."

A smile rushed over my face.

"Oh…" I took a large bite and savored the delicious meat. Happy took a seat beside me, hoping that I would accidentally drop a scrap for him to devour. I took another large bite and gave Frederick a nervous smile.

"That's even better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! This story is plain old fashioned fun to write! It's also giving me one heck of a challenge that I both wanted but also was not fully ready for. That being said, I'm really having fun doing this story so far. I hope you guys are enjoying it just as much as I am. With that said, Sam has started training with Frederick. We'll see how long he actually manages to last.
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!
> 
> Come join the Treehouse! We have cookies! Discord is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> Also, come check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Stormtide Leviathan, Narwhal Lord, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts! You can find it on Spotify, and on Soundcloud! Hope to see you all there!


	5. Meeting the Merchant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start  
> Chapter 5  
> Meeting the Merchant

Steel whistled in the air. My eyes went wide, and I ducked as fast as I could underneath Frederick's swipe. His blunted training blade cut a hideous arc over my head. I could feel the metal hiss over me, trimming the hairs on the top of my head. A whimper left my lungs. Before I could even recover from the first attack, Frederick bashed me back with his left forearm.

"Guard up!" He barked.

Easier said than done. Two weeks into Frederick's training, and for the first time in my entire life, I was using a sword. Each movement I made with this hunk of metal was clumsy, awkward, and slow. Hesitation filled each thought as I did my best to both defend myself from Frederick's relentless attacks and not screw up in the process. And by screw up, I mean tripping over my own two feet as I backpedaled away from a furious assault.

I raised my blade with both hands just in time to catch a savage slash at my side. My arms jostled, my bones creaked, and my muscles groaned and buzzed. I lost feeling in my fingers as vibrations ran down the blade and into the leather-bound handle. Like when a baseball hits too close to the hands on a bat. The sudden sensation and loss of feeling in my palms nearly caused me to drop the heavy blade into the dirt.

I cursed and took several panicked steps back. Frederick did not pursue. He simply sighed and let his sword fall to his side.

"You're still struggling." He muttered.

I huffed, "Well, of course I am!" I winced as I tried to raise my sword to eye level, then gave up as my arms failed to do so, "I've never used one of these before in my life."

"And because of that, you are afraid of the weapon."

I rolled my eyes, "Gee, state the obvious, why don't you." Frederick frowned at me, "Of course I'm afraid of it."

"It can't hurt you when it's blunted." Frederick pointed out in a matter of fact tone.

"Your definition of hurt and my definition of that word are two very different things." I huffed as I dropped the sword to the ground and let out a long groan, grateful the strain on my arms had finally gone away. My hands still buzzed from when the two blades collided. I flexed my fingers open then closed, trying to restore feeling to them.

_Some batting gloves would be nice._

Frederick frowned and leaned against his sword as he kept the tip planted in the dirt.

"You need to toughen up." He said bluntly.

"No shit," I grunted back.

I exhaled and bent down to pick the sword up. I never knew these things could be so damn heavy. After about three or four swings, my arms started shaking. Now it took every ounce of strength I had just to pick the damn thing up. It also didn't help that I was already exhausted from the Fatal Fitness Program routine earlier in the day. But I doubted I would have fared much better at swordplay if I was fresh compared to how I feel now.

I let out a weary sigh, bent my knees slightly, and held the sword up as much as I could with both hands. I could already feel my arms shaking and my shoulders tightening up as I stood across from Frederick. The Knight remained in his relaxed position, hands resting on the pommel of his blade as he stood across from me.

"What's wrong now?" I asked.

Frederick clicked his tongue, "You can barely hold that sword up."

"Well of course Sammy can barely hold the thing up."

Both Frederick and I glanced over to the palace gates. Gaius sauntered in. As usual, a lollipop stick dangled from one corner of his mouth. He quickly studied what we were doing before popping the lollipop free and directing it at me.

"Feels heavy?" He asked me.

"Uh… yeah?"

"What do you want, Gaius?" Frederick hummed as he yanked his sword free from the dirt and easily hefted in with one hand.

Gaius shrugged, "Nothing really. Yarne is off helping Specs gather some plants and whatnot. Kid's got a nose for that sorta thing. So, I got bored at home and decided to see what the hell you all were up to here." He slipped his lollipop back into his mouth, "And… from what I can see, Freddy, you're taking a bad approach to all of this."

Frederick drew back in surprise, "I am taking a bad approach?"

"Yeah, you are." Gaius walked up to Frederick and patted his armored chest, "Don't sweat it so much big guy, we all make mistakes."

I frowned, "Are you suggesting training me is a mistake." I heavy breath left my lips, "Honestly, you might be right." I muttered under my breath.

"You're wrong too." Gaius nodded at me. He strode up to me and held out a hand, "Sword." He commanded.

I gave him a confused look then handed him my blade. The orange-haired thief gripped the sword and twisted it over in his hand. He wrapped his other hand around it and held it out in front of his face for a moment.

"Shit, Freddy, do you think Sammy has as much muscle as you?" Gaius asked, an amused smirk on his lips. He handed me the blade back. I tried to grab it and hold it upright like he did, but the point wavered and fell to the dirt, "He's nearly as small as I am. And, while I've got the strength to handle that weapon, he sure as hell doesn't. I mean," He grabbed my right arm and held it up against my will, "Look at this." He smacked a hand against my arm, eliciting a hiss as the blow stung, "Not a shred of meat."

"That is what I am trying to fix."

Gaius frowned in return, "Sammy, have you ever had muscles in your life?"

I shook my head.

"He ain't built for this, Freddy." Gaius stated, "And well, how do I put this in a way you can understand?" He tapped his chin for a moment then cleared his throat, "You can't make baker's chocolate taste like milk chocolate through sheer will and desire."

Frederick arched an eyebrow, "It sounds to me like you are trying to explain this concept to yourself." He sighed, "But I think I see what you are getting at. Sam is not meant to be a man-at-arms. Is that what you are saying?"

"Right!" Gaius nodded.

"Then what do you think he would do well at?" Frederick asked, sheathing his sword and folding his arms afterward.

Gaius hummed to himself. He paced back and forth in front of me for a moment. Every so often, his eyes darted up to look at me. I could see him muttering something under his breath as he rubbed his chin and pondered Frederick's question. He suddenly paused in his pacing and snapped his fingers.

"Let me work with him for a little bit," Gaius suggested.

"Huh!?" I uttered.

Frederick uttered a heavy sigh and shook his head, "I don't think that is a good idea."

"Oh, why not?" Gaius asked with a smile, "Look; you're built like a house, Sammy here is built like me, tiny and inconspicuous."

"Because you are the definition of inconspicuous." I deadpanned.

"Sammy," Gaius popped his lollipop free and wagged it at me, "I can be very inconspicuous when I want to be. Don't doubt the master thief." He sniffed to himself, "I'm still the only one that has ever successfully stolen from Anna."

"She still caught you." Frederick pointed out.

"After you and Bubbles ratted on me!" Gaius shot back. Before he could continue, a slight pang of melancholy hit him. He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head, "That memory still makes me laugh. Anna really did a number on me for that stunt. I think I still have some bruises." He chuckled quietly once more before clearing his throat, "Back to what I was getting to. I'll try to teach him a little bit. You always complain about how you don't have a lot of people that can move through the wild quickly and quietly. Other than Anna and me, at least." He slapped my shoulder and gave it a shake, "I see Sammy as a prime candidate for a scout role in our little band."

"Scout!?" I cried.

Frederick hummed to himself. He thought for a moment, one hand stroking his chin as he considered Gaius's reasoning.

"If this doesn't work," Frederick began, "I'm sending him to Libra once he gets back and seeing if Sam might be better suited as a healer."

I paled a little bit. A healer? Sounds peaceful and all, but that meant bloody wounds. And, if my experience dissecting dead things in science class were anything to go by, that would not go very well.

"It'll work." Gaius smiled back. He took the sword from my hand and gave it back to Frederick, "C'mon Sammy, we're gonna get you a weapon more suited for your build."

"You're taking him to Anna?" Frederick asked, surprised.

Gaius paused as he strode towards the gate, "Well yeah. Who else would I take him to for weapons and stuff? Besides, she's gonna want to meet the new recruit." He glanced over his shoulder at me, "Stop standing there and c'mon already." He started walking away again, "We're burning daylight."

I rushed off after him.

* * *

In all of the weeks I had dwelled within the Exalt's Palace and the Shepherd's Barracks, I had never wandered beyond the white walls. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to. None of the other Shepherds that lived within the confines of the Palace Walls seemed to go beyond them, except for those that actually lived in the main city.

And what a city it was, by medieval standards at least. In high school, when I was learning about medieval times, I always pictured those cities to be filthy, mud-soaked places. Huts lined the streets, shit ran through the gutters, and the people were covered in filth. Those were the images that filled my head whenever I thought of castles, villages, kings, queens, and knights.

Ylisstol, by contrast, was remarkably clean. The streets were not muddy, pothole riddled messes. They were paved stone roads that looked to have been white years ago, before being worn down by horses, wagons, and foot traffic. Most of the houses around the main palace area were large, even by modern standards. They were made of mostly white stone and wood. Very impressive to look at. As I followed Gaius further into the city, the size of the houses shrank. The lots became even more crowded. There were less royal looking buildings and more common homes with simple wood frames and walls. Still surprisingly clean and well kept, but not as awe-inspiring as the area surrounding the palace.

"Almost to the markets." Gaius chirped ahead of me as I followed him.

The crowds grew in size and density. With the influx of people, came a lot of noise. Mostly chatter and general city hum that I was not used to at all. Appleton was a modest town both by modern standards and by Ylisstol standards. There were so many people filling the streets and alleys around me, I had a feeling Times Square would be jealous. To my surprise, despite the clean streets and buildings, many of the citizens appeared haggard and weary.

"Refugees." Gaius nodded at a small group sitting in the shadow of a bakery, "Most of them are Plegian. Some are from Western Regna Ferox."

I raised an eyebrow. Plegian and Feroxi refugees in Ylisstol? That did not line up with events in-game. Plegians would rather be dead than reside in the capital of their mortal enemy. And I always viewed the Feroxi as far too wild a people to be confined to a shining city like this.

"Not a whole lot of food to go around as it is." Gaius muttered as we brushed by a group of Ylissean guards roaming through the crowds, "And the number of people fleeing here grows by the day. Which is not a good sign."

I frowned, "Why is that?"

Gaius glanced back at me, "Well, it means the war is not going well." He kept his voice low as he spoke, "I suppose I can tell you a little bit of what's going on. You're technically one of us now, after all. Though Freddy might disapprove, I see no sense in keeping you in the dark." He paused in his walk and stopped to look through the window of a candy shop. He licked his lips as a chocolatier placed a small rack of fresh candies in the window, "Are you familiar with the Divine Dragon, Sammy?"

I am, but I needed to keep up the amnesia charade. So instead of nodding my head, I shook it.

"I don't think so," I muttered back.

Gaius eyed me, "Oh right, amnesia. Forgot about that. Well, Naga is the Divine Dragon. She's like a benevolent god to us little, weak humans. Or something along those lines. Don't tell Tiki I said that if ya ever meet her. She disagrees with that summary. Anyways, Naga is the good one. But, Naga is also a bit of an… absentee mom." Gaius sucked in a sharp breath as lollipops were placed in the window, "Oh, now they're just teasing me."

"Absentee mom?" I asked, trying to get the thief back on topic.

Gaius blinked and cleared his throat, "Oh right, well, while Naga has been gone, or dead, whichever it is, the Fell Dragon, Grima, has come back." I gulped, and Gaius nodded, "I see you understand that terminology just fine. The Fell Dragon is very, very bad. The Risen, those monsters that nearly killed you, are his creations. And he is itching to wipe out all of us little humans and reshape the world into his image."

Gaius reluctantly tore his gaze away from the candy shop window and started strolling down the road again towards the increasingly crowded market district.

"When he awakened, Grima destroyed Plegia. Any Plegians lucky enough to survive, and unlucky enough to refuse to join Grima, fled to Themis. Then Grima launched an all-out assault on Ylisse, starting with Themis." Gaius took a breath as he spoke. A glaze came over his eyes as he relived a terrible event in his mind, "Lost a lot of good people in that siege. Tiki entered the war at that point and managed to push Grima back, but barely. As a result, Grima decided to kill us off slowly instead. He's got various groups of Risen and human allies raiding the Ylissean countryside, and his main horde is in Regna Ferox, way up north, trying to destroy those feisty bastards."

I furrowed my brow—none of this made sense to me. Then again, the game never really delved into what happened in the future. There were vague glimpses and even vaguer explanations of what occurred. I always thought Grima quickly destroyed the world. I did not consider the possibility that he led a military campaign against the Feroxi before deciding to destroy the Ylisseans.

"Why is he focusing on Regna Ferox and not us?" I asked as we pushed our way into the main market square, where various tents and stalls were set up. Merchants called out their wares to the crowds milling through the square, "Aren't we a bigger threat?"

Gaius nodded, "Yeah, we technically are since Naga's blessed bloodline rules us. But for some reason, Grima is very focused on Ferox. We're still trying to figure out why. But while we try to figure that out, Princess Lucina and some of the others went up north to aid Khan Flavia against the Risen Horde." He grimaced as a group of Feroxi refugees trudged by us, "And judging by the influx in Feroxi refugees, it is not going well up there."

Before I could ask any more questions, Gaius let out a happy sound.

"There she is!"

My eyes followed his hand towards a tent at the far end of the square. A horse-drawn, canvas topped wagon sat behind the tent. The inside of the tent was littered with crates, both opened and closed. Each crate was filled to the brim with various goods. A table sat in front of the tent. A multitude of objects sat on the table, everything from a few jars of soup to swords, axes, and bows.

Behind that table stood a red-haired woman. She wore what looked like a jester's outfit, a patchwork of yellows and browns, with a frilly collar that made her stand out from all of the other merchants in the area. Her dark red hair was held back in a high ponytail. A playful, welcoming smile adorned her lips as she tried to sell her wares to the passing crowds.

As Gaius and I approached, the woman reached under the table and struggled to lift a massive bronze ax from the ground.

"Weapons and other wares! Come and get em! Like this ax!" Anna let the ax lean briefly against the table. Once it touched the table, the head to the ax shuddered and fell off, hitting the table with a heavy thunk, "Some of it mildly used!"

"Red!" Gaius cried, spreading his arms out wide.

Anna's welcoming smile raced away. In a flash, a dagger appeared in her hand and burrowed its way into the wooden table, stopping Gaius in his tracks.

"The last time you visited me, you stole-"

Gaius raised a finger, "I didn't steal, I borrowed."

"Without asking for permission." Anna snarled back.

"To be fair, you weren't supposed to miss it." Gaius defended, a nervous sweat building up on his brow.

Anna's fingers danced along the pommel of the dagger, "I miss anything that is mine that I could have sold." She leaned over the table, teeth clenched tight as she spoke, "Including that certain _thing,_ Gaius. As well as the cans of soup you snatched as well!"

Gaius pursed his lips, "Well, um… my past transgressions are not the focus of today."

"I'm going to make them the focus of-"

"Sammy! Get up here already!" Gaius yanked me by the arm to his side. Anna's eyes darted to me, never losing the intense, wary glare she had, "Red," Gaius patted my chest, "This is Sammy. He's-"

"I heard already, Maribelle told me." Anna leaned against the table, yanked the dagger from the wood, and twirled the sharp dagger in her right hand as she rested her head on her left. Her eyes lingered on me, "You're the kid stupid enough to jump in front of an ax, huh?"

I frowned, "I wouldn't call it my brightest moment, but not stupi-"

"Anything that can result in your death is a stupid decision." Anna interrupted, "Lesson one in this place. Learn it." She glanced over at Gaius, "Why is he here?"

Gaius cleared his throat, "Well, um, Sammy is one of the Shepherds now, thanks to his actions a few weeks ago. Freddy tried training him and it hasn't gone very well."

"Really?" Anna arched an eyebrow, "I couldn't have guessed, what with the lack of any muscle and general look of fear in his eyes."

My eyes widened.

"Like that." Anna finished.

"And because it is not going very well, I"m taking a crack at it." Gaius pressed his lips into a thin line and waited for Anna's response.

She laughed. It was a quiet chuckle at first. Then her head bowed, her shoulders shuddered, and her quiet chuckle erupted into a loud cackle that caused several people in the market square to paused and glanced in her direction. Anna let her forehead pressed down against the table as she kept laughing.

"Um…" Gaius smacked his lips together, "Not exactly the reaction I was expecting."

"Oh really?" Anna raised her head, still chuckling, "What were you expecting exactly? Geez, Gaius, the thought of you teaching someone is almost as laughable as it is terrifying." She glanced over at me, "Kid, run while you can. Go back to Frederick, you'll last longer that way."

"I am perfectly capable of molding Sammy into the scout we need!" Gaius cried, stamping a foot.

Anna's laughter died, "Scout?" She narrowed her gaze at Gaius, "I thought you were just going to train him to fight?"

Gaius shook his head, "He ain't a fighter. Not yet, at least. And he probably will never be the kind of fighter Freddy wants. But he's definitely built to be a fighter like you and me."

Anna's jaw worked back and forth. She flicked her eyes over to me. Her hand stopped twirling the dagger.

"Kid, Sam, right?" I nodded back as she spoke, "Do you have any idea what you would be getting into if you agreed to this?"

I glanced back and forth between her and Gaius. I honestly had no idea what was going on in the slightest. But that's par for the course in my life. Ninety percent of the time, I had no idea what was going on around me. The other ten percent were just little moments where I was laser-focused on a task that either terrified me, or I was very interested in. Although I did not recall Gaius actually going in-depth on what he wanted to train me in. He wanted me to be a scout. But what exactly did that entail?

"Not really," I answered, failing to hide my sudden nervousness and uncertainty.

Anna frowned, "When he says 'scout', what Gaius actually means is that he is going to teach you how to move so far behind enemy lines that you will not see anything other than a shambling corpse for weeks at a time. Or if you're lucky, you'll run into a gang of bandits or dark mages. Scout, in this army, is not going a day ahead of the army. Not anymore at least. Scout, is going into Grima's backyard and finding out what the bastard is planning." she nodded at Gaius, "He and I are the two best at it. Because he's sneaky as all hell, and I'm a merchant. Merchants get a bit of a free pass when it comes to the bandits and Grima's dark mages. They like to buy stuff off of me."

"I wouldn't advertise that so loudly, Anna." Gaius cringed.

Anna let out a haughty sound, "I dare one of these civilians to try something on me. I've dealt with far deadlier than a mob of hungry refugees." She coughed into her hand and cleared her throat, "Do you get it now, Sam? You aren't going to be scouting around a campsite; you're going to be what might be the most dangerous role in our army."

I must have blanched quite a bit because Anna immediately shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"See?" She nodded in my direction, "He doesn't have the guts to do what we do."

"Guts can be made." Gaius replied, "Need I remind you of your early days when the last thing you wanted to do was move behind enemy lines and report back information."

Anna scowled in return, "The coin I get from the Exalt more than makes up for the danger, you know that. If Lissa did not fill my pockets the way she does, I'd have already gotten on a boat and sailed to the other side of the world. Away from this mess in Archanea." She huffed and folded her arms, studying me for a moment, "Why the hell do you think he can do well doing what we do, Gaius?"

"Because he's a survivor." Gaius said firmly, "Sammy was all alone in the wild until Freddy and the others found him. And he was not only alive but mostly unscathed, until he saved Severa that is."

Anna looked unimpressed. Gaius sighed and leaned closer to her table.

"Look, I'm going to teach him, whether you like it or not." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small sack filled with gold coins. He tossed the sack onto the table. Anna's eyes shimmered for a brief second before hardening once again, "That should be enough to get him outfitted."

"Outfitted?" I asked.

"Yeah, outfitted." Gaius sniffed and glanced back in the direction we came, towards the candy shop, "While you two are doing that, I'm going to restock my stash."

I paled as he started to walk away, "G-Gaius, wait I-"

I trailed off as he disappeared into the crowd.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

The sound of coins clinking together behind me drew my attention. I spun around and looked at Anna once again. She was busy counting the coins Gaius placed in front of her. Once she finished counting, she nodded and placed them in a chest inside of her tent.

"Damn thief may be a bit of an idiot, but he at least knows how to count." Anna huffed, "Outfitted huh?" She eyed me then nodded for me to follow her back into her small tent.

I hesitated, then followed her into the tent.

It was a lot more spacious than I initially thought. The inside of Anna's tent was still cramped with goods and crates, but there was enough room for two people to meander around a few steps. Once inside, Anna spun around and looked me up and down.

"Well, if you're going to be one of us, you need light armor." She put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment, "Where did I put the leather?"

She brushed by me and rummaged through several crates to my right. I ducked as stuff started sailing through the air from the crate. A dagger nearly took my ear off, a helm missed my nose by mere inches, and a quiver filled with arrows whistled over my head then crashed into a box that squawked for some reason.

"Ignore the chicken." Anna mumbled before gasping and reaching down into a crate, "Here we are!"

She yanked out a simple, black leather jerkin. Both of her hands held it up in front of her face for a moment.

"That should be the right size. If not, I'll send it over to Noire and Henry. Noire just loves tailoring stuff for me." Anna spun back around and pressed the jerking to my chest. A small whistle left her lips, "Actually, you may just be able to grow into it. Put it on."

I just barely managed to catch the thin leather jerkin that passed for armor as Anna let go of it. One brief glance at the various strings and buttons made my brain scramble. How the hell do I get this thing on exactly? Do I pull it over my head? Undo the laces and wrap it around my body? Step into it?

Anna hummed in front of me as she rummaged through another crate. She paused and looked beneath her arm at me.

"Well?"

I gulped, and my cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"I um… don't know how."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Of course you don't." She returned to me and snatched the jerkin from my hands. Without any effort at all, she undid the laces, "Arms out." She instructed.

I raised my arms. She placed the jerkin over my body like a vest, then redid the laces. I gasped as she tightened them to the point where the leather felt like it was squeezing my ribs.

"You want it tight," Anna explained to me when she noticed my obvious discomfort. She put her finger to her chin again and hummed to herself, "Yeah, it'll do. You can take it off now. If you want it adjusted, just take it to Noire."

"Um, ok?" I fiddled with the laces.

"Now, next up." Anna returned to the crate, reached inside, and yanked out a black, hooded cloak. She tossed it over to me. I caught it and held it up, mildly confused, "That there is your life." Anna explained to me, "It can hide you from the Risen, give you shelter in the rain, it can even protect you from the sun." A small smile flashed over her lips, "It's also damn cool to wear sometimes. But black is not my color, so you can have that one."

"Ok?"

She cracked her knuckles and turned away from the crate. A loud gulp rang out from my throat as she moved towards a weapons rack. I followed her hand as she ran a finger along various swords, axes, and lances.

"Do you know how to use a sword?" She asked me, back turned as I continued to fumble with the jerkin.

"If I'm here instead of with Frederick, what does that tell you?" I snarked back.

Anna whipped her head around. I half expected a scolding. Instead, she gave me a wry smirk.

"So longswords are out." She smirked at me then moved away from the rack filled with large swords, the kind Frederick tried teaching me to use, "Broadswords too." She paused my a rack of short little swords, about the length of a machete actually, "Shortsword?" She asked me.

I shrugged, "Never used one before."

"That'll change. But… for just starting out, not the best idea." She moved down the rack, past a pair of battleaxes, to a small, hand ax. She nodded, grabbed a steel hand ax, then held it out to me, "This should be a good primary for you. Can use it for self-defense or survival. In the situations you'll be in, you'll need it."

I gulped as my fingers gingerly wrapped around the ax's wooden shaft. To my surprise, it did not feel as heavy as I thought it would. It almost felt like a hatchet in my hands (yes I have held one of those before. I've been around enough tool sheds to know what a hatchet looks and feels like). But unlike a hatchet, the blade on this ax was wickedly sharp. I dared not bring my finger along the edge.

Knives and daggers clattered in a crate beside the weapons rack. Anna carefully rummaged through it before withdrawing one large, steel dagger and one small steel knife. She tossed both up into the air then caught them with practiced ease.

"One for killing things closeby." She gestured with the large dagger, held it out to me, and waited for me to grab it. Nervously I took the sharp weapon from her hand. She then gestured with the small knife, "One for killing things far away."

I arched an eyebrow as I took the small knife, "A throwing knife?"

"I'll give you more when you get good at using them." Anna brushed her hands and placed them at her hips. She exhaled and nodded, "That should do you for now. If you ever go out on a mission, I'll supply you with any provisions you may need. Like vulneraries, bandages, water and rations, the usual."

"Missions!?" I exclaimed.

Anna chuckled, "Yeah. How else are you going to learn?"

I swallowed hard. Suddenly, being around people with bloody wounds did not sound so bad. Maybe I should petition Frederick to take me away from Gaius. He mentioned something about putting me with Libra and the healers. Maybe I'd be good at that. Being away from all of the danger sounded rather nice.

Anna's smile wavered a bit as she caught the look sickly look on my face.

"No puking in my shop." She said quickly, wagging a finger at me, "And if you do, you're cleaning it up."

"I-I'm not sick just," I took a deep breath and looked down at the weapons and clothes cradled in my arms, "scared," I admitted.

Anna's smile faded entirely.

"Yeah? Well…" She took a heavy breath, "We all feel that way nowadays." I gave her a surprised look as she busied herself putting stuff back in their respective crates, "You're just going to have to man up and push through it."

I snorted to myself. Man up, how many times have I heard that one in my life? That was my father's favorite phrase whenever he talked to me. And my stepfather felt sort of the same way, though he managed to make his criticism far more constructive than my father's. I swallowed and stared down at the stuff in my arms.

I was suddenly a soldier. Not only a soldier, but apparently one that was going to be doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the entire army. Scouting behind enemy lines, Grima's lines no less… God, what have I gotten myself into? How the hell do I get out of this? For the life of me, I could not think of a solution. It was as if my brain decided to shut off even as the full weight of what I was about to do slammed into me.

"Hey, Sam."

Anna's voice ripped me from my thoughts. One of her hands gently patted my shoulder.

"Look, I can be a little hard on people, so… don't worry so much. I'm sure you'll do fine. If you survived for this long alone, then you'll go far under Gaius. If anyone can teach you to be stealthy, it's him." She huffed, "Loathe as I am to admit it."

A laugh left my throat, easing the tension in my gut.

"What exactly did he steal anyways?" I asked as I threw my new jerkin and cloak over my shoulder. Thankful that I was given a way to change the topic and distract myself from the terror I was currently feeling.

Anna's cheeks reddened, "N-nothing important."

"Ah…" I replied with a nod, "Sounds rather important."

"Nothing." Anna jabbed a finger at me, "Important."

I nodded, "Okay, nothing important."

Anna huffed, "Good, you understand then." She spun around and started to move back to her table, where some customers were waiting. As she walked away, a thought hit me. One that caused a mischievous smirk to cross my lips.

"So was it your diary or-"

I knew I had made a correct guess when I saw the broken ax head flying at my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! Managed to just barely get this one done before the deadline. Traveling tends to derail schedules like that. Was out of town for a week visiting family for Thanksgiving and managed to get zero writing done during that time. But I still got this one done, and it was a fun one to write! Not much happened, although we are now seeing a role being carved out for Sam. And he got to meet Anna, which is always fun.
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!  
> Come join the Treehouse! Discord code is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> Also, come check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Narwhal Lord, Stormtide Leviathan, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts! You can find it on Spotify and on Soundcloud. Hope to see you all there!


	6. Learning to Fight Dirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start  
> Chapter 6  
> Learning to Fight Dirty

Training under Gaius was interesting, to say the least. I did not expect him to continue Frederick's tradition of early morning wake up calls. Yet, surprisingly, he arrived every morning, just before dawn, as the inky darkness turned pink, to shake me from my restful slumber. After how long I had been doing this, my body was finally starting to get used to early rises. But I was still not very happy about it.

Unlike Frederick, Gaius not only tolerated my complaining, but he also tended to laugh at it. Which only served frustrated me a little bit, because it was his way of saying he did not give a crap about how tired I felt. Somehow, his quiet laughter and amused smile were far more irritating in the morning that Frederick's stoic silence. Maybe it was just me being grouchy. I never called myself a morning person, after all.

The other aspects of Gaius's training involved more physical stuff. Frederick tried to mold me into another warrior. Another grunt to man the front lines, meant to hold a shield and a sword. Gaius recognized that as a wrong approach and instead tailored physical training away from strength and towards speed and agility. Instead of running several laps around the palace, it was only one (still a long distance, but after how much Frederick made me run, it felt much easier), followed by wind sprints across the training yard (which he also participated in, and consistently mocked me for my slow speed). He would also join in on the many drills he introduced to get me to move quicker and lighter on my feet. A lot of them reminded me of old sports drills I used to do when I was younger. The familiarity of it all brought some comfort, and Gaius joining in on the exercises made it feel more like a competition than an instruction.

The biggest thing he was attempting to instill in me was how to move lightly on my feet and how to take advantage of silence. It was far more cerebral than physical, which surprised me. So much of that training involved identifying where the best spot to place a step was, whether or not a certain material on the ground would make a noise or not. It also involved controlling my own emotions and making sure my breathing did not quicken. Quick breaths are loud, as Gaius would say. Loud gets a scout killed. Something I was not eager to have happen to me twice.

While difficult to learn, I found myself progressing much quicker in this training than Frederick's. Especially when it came to weapons training. Mostly because instead of just one grouchy teacher, I had Gaius and an increasingly irritable Anna. Every day I sparred against one of them, with both fists and blade. And every day, I got my ass kicked. Each day I hoped to go up against Gaius; at least he pulled his punches. Anna, on the other hand… well… there is a reason why my lip is bleeding at the moment.

I spat blood and dirt into the dirt below me as I rested on one knee. My face scrunched up in pain as I felt more sharp pain lance through my jaw.

"Get up already," Anna said sharply.

I raised my gaze. She paced to and fro in front of me, impatient as ever. She always made it a point to bring up to both Gaius and me that she needed to be at her shop, selling merchandise, and making what meager gold she still could. Gaius would remind her that she was a better fighter than him and that I needed the best instruction. Some days, she'd blow him off and leave early. But on days like today, when the crowds in the market were particularly thick, she took her frustration out on me. She demanded that I fight quickly so that she could at least get back to what she enjoyed.

Great teacher, right?

I shook some haze from my mind and slowly got to my feet. Across from me, Anna twirled two daggers in her hands. I sagged my shoulders, huffed, then raised my hand ax to defend myself.

She did not say a word as she surged towards me. Even though this felt like the hundredth time we moved like this, the fluidity with which Anna fought still stunned me. She wasted not a single motion. Each stab and slash from her daggers were meant to quickly disable or kill me. I thanked God the daggers were blunt. Because if they were not, I would have been dead long ago.

About as gracefully as a three-legged sloth, I swung my hand ax to meet Anna's first flurry of attacks. I found this strategy worked best. Daggers were short weapons, which meant there was not a lot of room for parrying with them. So whenever I swung hard, Anna either had to break off her charge or take the full force of my ax against her weapons.

This time, as I swung my ax to the right, she broke off her charge. Then she glided to my left. With nothing to hit, my momentum carried me off balance. Right as I started to stumble forward, I felt a blunted point jab against my ribs, followed by a hard pommel bashing across the back of my head, sending me face down to the dirt.

Anna's tongue clicked as I saw stars. I groaned as I lay face down in the dirt. As I lifted my shaky gaze, I caught sight of her dusty boots right in front of my face.

"No." She frowned down at me, hands on her hips, "No, no, no." She snapped her gaze over to Gaius, who leaned against the barracks wall, while I struggled to push myself up again, "Have you taught him nothing, Gaius?"

Gaius shrugged, "I have. Maybe you just intimidate him?"

"A Risen will be a hell of a lot more intimidating than me," Anna remarked. She rolled her left shoulder, then stretched her leg.

"Sore?" Gaius chuckled.

"You wish."

Gaius laughed a little more before inclining his chin at me, "C'mon Sammy, get up. Try again."

I pushed myself up onto my knees. My head felt fuzzy, some blood still dripped from my lower lip, and I could feel the welts growing beneath my leather armor.

"Do you all know the definition of insanity?" I panted.

Gaius arched an eyebrow, "Can't say I do. What about you, Red?"

Anna shrugged.

"It is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." I breathed as I finally managed to rise to my feet. I swayed backward, took a step back to catch my balance, and gave my head a quick shake, freeing myself from the cobwebs in my mind.

"Then I guess you should try something different," Anna replied.

I blinked, "That was uh… not where I was going with that but-"

"If you're trying to tell me that the way we are teaching you is not working, don't bother," Anna grumbled as she readied her daggers again.

"Well, the way you are teaching me is not working," I replied, completely exasperated, both with Anna's callousness and my inadequacy at fighting. I held my ax loose in my right hand as I stood in front of her, utterly defeated, "I'm no closer to beating you now than I was a week ago."

Gaius frowned to my left, "Not with that attitude." He shifted the lollipop in his mouth over to his other cheek, "You gotta believe in yourself a little more, Sammy."

I snorted, "Believe in myself? Yeah, tell that to my bruises."

"Each bruise holds a lesson. Same goes for every mistake." Gaius remarked, "Red and I didn't get good without taking our fair share of lumps. Right, Red?"

"I have always been good at this." Anna shrugged.

"Ignore her. She's arrogant sometimes."

Anna flipped him off.

"And very charming too," Gaius smirked back.

"You know it." Anna snorted.

"Well, I don't feel like I'm learning from my lumps." I sighed.

Gaius glanced down at his boots for a moment as he folded his arms, "Sammy, how did you start out fighting Anna?"

I raised an eyebrow, puzzled, "Does on my ass count as an answer."

Anna let out a laugh, "He's not far off."

"Nope, he's not." Gaius popped his lollipop free from his lips. He gestured at my ax with it, "You tried to fight with a terrible grip and bad technique. With each beatdown, you implemented a correction. You remembered how Red beat you and tried to prevent it the next time. That's progress."

Gaius stepped away from the wall and moved towards me. Once he reached me, he tapped the side of his head with his finger.

"You're thinking—both a good and bad thing, in my opinion. You're thinking about how you can adjust, which is smart on your part. But you're also thinking that you're fighting is for shit, which is bad." He nudged my forehead with that same finger, leaving a dirty imprint and making me frown a little bit, "The battle is won up there first. If you think you can't win, you never will. You eliminate so many possibilities by thinking you can't do it."

I rolled my eyes, "I've heard that before."

Gaius's eyes sparked a moment as I quickly caught myself before saying any more. He did not seem angry or frustrated with me. Seeing a frustrated or angry Gaius had to be about as rare as seeing a gentle Risen in this world. So I did not shut up for fear of that, but rather out of fear that the thief was far more perceptive than I thought he was. That was evident by the many observations and pointers he gave me during my training.

_Then again, this Gaius is maybe… fifteen years older than the Gaius from the main storyline of the game. Which means he is a decade more experienced._ I smiled to myself as I remembered a quote from one of my favorite cartoons growing up, _Experience outranks everything._

He apparently could see the doubt on my face.

"A little tip for this next try." He leaned close to my ear, "Is that ax your only weapon?"

I blinked. No, the hand ax was not my only weapon. Anna gave me two daggers when I first met her as well.

Gaius patted my shoulder and stepped away. He gave Anna a small nod, signaling her to continue beating me to a pulp.

I took a breath. I only fought with the ax because Anna called it my primary weapon, the one I needed to know how to use the best. Especially since I was, according to Frederick, hopeless with a blade. I figured I'd try to master an ax before moving on towards the weapons that more closely resembled swords.

_There I go thinking again._ I thought.

I took a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. A cool breeze drifted over the palace walls down into the yard, kicking dust-up over my boots. My grip on my hand ax tightened, and my free hand balled into a fist in anticipation.

Anna swept forward. As she moved, Gaius's words rang in my mind. I have more than one weapon.

I didn't swing first. This time, I jumped back, away from Anna's initial thrust. Then I swung down hard with my ax, aiming for her wrists. She snapped her wrists away, surged forward, and aimed the point of her right dagger right at my head.

I yelped and ducked. As I ducked, I thought quickly. My ax was too slow for what I wanted to try and do, but a dagger was not. As fast as I could, I reached for the scabbard on my left hip and drew my long dagger. I swept the blade across my vision, aiming to slash against Anna's midsection.

It nearly worked. Anna backpedaled quickly. My jaw fell open as I realized I put Anna on the retreat for the first time in… ever.

My shock and happiness was short-lived and very quickly replaced by pain in my midsection as Anna threw her blunted dagger full force at my belly. The blunt point dug into the leather, hung there a moment, then fell to the ground. I let out a wheeze as the impact shot all of the air out of my lungs. Before I could even stagger backward, Anna lunged forward and tapped her other dagger beneath my chin.

"Dead again." She said, but instead of any frustration, there was a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Gaius clapped to my left. I flicked my eyes over as Anna backed off, picked up her thrown dagger, then sheathed her daggers.

"See?" Gaius smiled at me, "You're learning."

I gave him a weak nod, "I got lucky."

"Yeah, maybe you did." Anna remarked as she put her hands on her hips, "But that's how it starts. One lucky move, one dirty trick that can give you the advantage. You had me on my heels with that one move. If you pressed, you would have put me on the retreat. And, while you probably would have still lost, you would have made me work for the win."

I nodded again, then furrowed my brow, "Dirty trick?"

Gaius smiled at me, "Yup. You gotta remember Sammy; we're not front line soldiers. And we ain't fighting other soldiers, usually. If your enemy is stronger than you, faster than you, bigger or better than you, then your best chance of winning is to fight dirty. Especially if you are on your own in the wild." He drew his lollipop from his mouth once again, "Fighting dirty can be pulling a hidden weapon like you sorta just did with Red, or setting a booby trap and not having to fight up close and personal at all. The point is, you have to win by any means necessary. Both in training and in the field."

"Any means necessary," I repeated, doubling over and resting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.

Anna tapped my elbow, "Head up; you'll get more air that way."

"Oh, right." I breathed as I straightened upright again.

"And Gaius is right. Victory by any means necessary. That is how you survive beyond these walls, Sam." Anna inclined her chin at me again, "When I fight you, do you think I fight fair?"

I scoffed, "Hell no. You're faster and more experienced." My eyes squeezed shut as the welts hidden by my sweaty clothes started to ache, "Hardly a fair fight."

"Exactly, I make sure I use every advantage I have against you." Anna nodded, "You need to start doing the same. Throw out any notions you have about being fair and noble. We aren't in that kind of war nowadays."

"You could argue we never were," Gaius muttered.

"Don't say that to Lissa and Frederick." Anna reminded him.

"Heh, yeah, they'd disagree. Although I seem to recall both Plegia and Valm being particularly nasty."

"And we weren't?" Anna asked.

Gaius shrugged, "The Shepherds? Nah, not really. You know that."

Anna blinked, "Oh, well," She cleared her throat, "don't repeat what I said to the Exalt." She told me.

I let out a small laugh and move my finger over my lips, "Sealed." I replied.

"Good kid." Anna nodded. She took a deep breath, "Alright, Gaius, you can beat up on him now. I've got a shop to get back to."

"Thanks for the help." Gaius waved to her as Anna marched out of the training yard.

I uttered a loud sigh of relief as I watched the red-haired woman march out.

"Thank God." I exhaled.

Gaius let out a laugh, "You're not done just yet." he glanced up at the slowly setting sun fighting to peek out from behind dark gray clouds, "We've got a little more daylight still."

I groaned a little bit, "I'm guessing you're gonna thrash me now?"

"Well-"

The sound of the palace doors groaning open, then closed, grabbed our attention. Cynthia came bouncing down the white stone steps, still in her full pegasus knight's armor. Her armored plates shimmered in the fading light, freshly polished. She hopped her way over to the weapons rack near the barracks and plucked a long lance from it.

A sparkle danced in Gaius's eyes. My stomach dropped.

"Please don't." I whimpered.

"Hey, Cynthia!"

"Goddammit." I hung my head.

Cynthia spun away from the weapons rack. A broad smile rushed over her face, "Gaius! Sam! How's it going for ya?"

"Could be better." I breathed as the short pegasus knight rushed over.

"He's doing alright." Gaius smiled back as she rocked to and fro on her heels and toes, "You about to go train?"

Cynthia nodded, "Auntie Lissa's lessons ran long today, so I've only got a little time to work with Owain and Severa."

"Sevvy's over at the stables?" Gaius remarked in surprise.

Cynthia shook her head, "She never is; you know that. She meets Owain and me over in the gardens. Lots of obstacles to work around there. Makes fighting interesting."

Gaius gave her a slight frown, "If Freddy found out you were-"

"That's the thing; he hasn't found out yet. So we're going to keep going." Cynthia beamed back mischievously.

Gaius's lips twitched, "Well, I tried to scold ya. Say, before you run off, mind going a round with Sammy?"

"Really!?" Cynthia gasped, very excited all of a sudden.

"This is a bad idea," I muttered as I kicked at some loose dirt my feet.

"Nonsense, this is a good idea. Diversity of opponents is always a plus. You can't always fight Red and me." Gaius smacked a hand against my back, right against a large welt Anna gave me. I hissed, but he did not notice, "You're about to learn how to fight an opponent with a long reach. And there isn't a better way to learn than hands-on, right?"

"Right." I sighed.

"Good." He smacked that same spot again, eliciting a sharp grunt from me. It's like he knew that spot hurt. Gaius stepped off to the side and jabbed his half-finished lollipop back into his mouth, "Positions, both of you."

I gulped then got ready. Knees bent, weight on my toes, grip on my ax tight, but not too tight. Head and body low to the ground, just like Gaius showed me. I had to make my already small target even smaller, according to him. It hadn't worked against Anna, in my opinion. But maybe it would work against Cynthia.

My hopes were dashed as Cynthia spun her lance in her hands like a kung fu master spinning a quarterstaff. I could feel my stomach drop, and my heart jump up to my throat as she planted the end of the spear in the ground and gave me a sweet smile.

"I'll go easy on ya. Don't worry." Her bright grin widened, "Wouldn't be very heroic if I beat you up super badly when you don't really know what you're doing."

I swallowed hard, "Yeah, uh… heroic."

I flicked my eyes over at Gaius. The thief motioned down with his right hand, signaling me to calm down and relax. Hard to do when staring down four feet and twelve inches of blue-haired kickassery in front of me.

Cynthia gripped her lance in both hands, then leveled it at me. It's blunt, yet large point stared at me like an intimidating glare.

"Normally, I'm on my Pegasus when I use this." Cynthia explained, "So this will be good practice for me too."

"G-glad I can help," I replied nervously.

Gaius raised a hand, forcing us both to go silent. Sweat dripped down the side of my face as I waited for his hand to drop. My eyes glanced right away to her feet. Something both Gaius and Anna told me to do at the start of every fight. Feet give away your opponent's fighting style. Flat-footed means slow and heavy-handed. On their toes means light and flighty. Anticipate both, then adjust.

Cynthia stood flat-footed, which made sense. The lance she wielded had to have some weight behind it. Not that she noticed any of the weight. For such a small girl, she was strong. Of course, she must have been training with a lance her entire life, given that her mother had been a pegasus knight as well.

Gaius's hand dropped. Adrenaline rushed through me, twisting my stomach into a knot and forcing my heart to race a million miles an hour.

Cynthia lunged at me, jabbing her lance right at my stomach. I scampered backward, only to be forced off-balance as she thrust forward again, nearly connecting with my sternum. She stabbed high one more time, forcing me to lean back away from the point.

As I stumbled backward, Cynthia shifted her grip. With a small snarl, she swung her lance in a wide arc towards my right shoulder. I cursed loudly, then dropped to the ground.

"Move quick, Sam!" Gaius barked.

A panicked yelp rushed from my lips as Cynthia jumped at me, lance raised, ready to impale it into my back. I quickly rolled to the side and heard the lance hit the ground with a hard thud.

I scrambled back up to my feet and bounced to the side of another thrust. With as much strength as I could muster, I swung my ax at her lance. It bounced harmlessly off of the head of her spear, but it also forced it to the side, giving me a little more time to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do right now.

"Any means necessary!" Gaius snapped sharply.

I flicked my eyes over at him. He was pacing by the barracks wall now; arms crossed as he watched the duel intently. I could see his jaw working furiously on the lollipop in his mouth. Was he rooting for me to win this thing? Impossible, there's no way I could beat Cynthia. I've only been training for a few weeks, and my progress had been slim to none.

I mentally smacked myself. Gaius's words rang in my mind, as did the sensation of his finger pushing against my forehead.

" _The battle is won up here first."_

I took a deep breath.

_I can do this._

Cynthia charged again. I ducked to the side of her thrust, then dropped low to avoid another vicious swing from her spear. The wood and metal hissed over my head as it narrowly missed braining me.

Cynthia was fighting aggressively. Always pushing forward, all of her balance forgotten in favor of putting strength into her strikes. Not only that, but I could see her chest heaving up and down. Swinging her lance around was making her tired. Perhaps I could outlast her?  
I avoided another stab then backpedaled several steps. Cynthia did not pursue this time, instead opting to catch her breath. A blessing for me, because it gave me another precious moment to think.

Outlast her was option one. But it would be a bad play. I was already exhausted from training with Anna and Gaius for most of the day. My weariness was bound to catch up to me eventually. Once it did, Cynthia will happily pounce and end the fight before I can even strike back at her. That option was out.

I thought back to her aggressive fighting. How she charged and swung with near reckless abandon. Perhaps I could use that to my advantage? I was also bigger than her (not by much, but a few muscles had finally started to show after all of this training). Victory by any means necessary, right?

I gulped and made up my mind on what I was going to do. If it worked, I might just have a chance.

Cynthia took another deep breath, leveled her lance then charged once again. I crouched low to the ground, hoping she would angle her lance to hit me in the torso instead of the head. To my delight, she did just that. Now I just needed to time it.

I grit my teeth and rolled to the side. Her lance nicked my left shoulder, tearing the fabric of my shirt and leaving a nasty scrape on my skin. The point dug into the dirt. Before Cynthia could yank it free, I swung as hard as I could with my ax at the shaft of her lance.

The ax head dug into the shaft, splintering the wood away and sending hard vibrations up the pole into Cynthia's hands, making her recoil. Before she could recover, I jumped on the spot where the ax hit. Wood snapped beneath my feet as her spear split in two.

"Wha!" Cynthia cried as she stumbled backward, off-balance due to trying to yank her lance free from the earth.

I surged forward, fought against my protesting muscles, and swung my ax hard at her chest. Cynthia fell backward, causing my ax to miss hitting her.

I stumbled forward, spun on my heel, and drew my dagger. Cynthia scrambled up to her feet and caught my slash with the back of her gauntlet. I pushed all of my weight up against her forearm, forcing her to reinforce with her other hand. That was when I reared back with my ax.

Her blue eyes widened. Just as I brought it hissing through the air, she moved fast as lighting, snapping her foot out at my right knee. I heard a loud pop, felt pain erupt through my leg, then collapsed into a howling mess of pain in the dirt. My ax fell uselessly beside me.

"Oh Naga!" Cynthia gasped as she covered her mouth her hands, "Sam!"

"Fuck!" I bellowed as I gripped my limp leg.

Gaius strolled over as Cynthia gave him a worried look.

"I-I reacted and-"

Gaius raised a hand, "Ya did what you were taught to do, Cynthia. Good on ya. That was a nasty kick." He stooped over me as I flopped over onto my back. Tears bubbled in my eyes as I writhed on the ground, "Not bad Sammy. Not bad at all."

"Goddammit, that hurts!" I howled.

Gaius nodded nonchalantly, "I bet." He glanced over his shoulder at Cynthia, "Go get your aunt."

"R-right." Cynthia rushed back to the palace.

I barely heard the palace doors shut through the ringing in my ears and my hisses of pain. Gaius flopped down onto his rear beside me as I finally stopped rolling and simply lay still. He leaned over and grabbed the back end of Cynthia's shattered lance from the ground.

"Good move, Sammy." He nodded again, "Shatter the weapon then strike." He nudged my shoulder with the broken spear, "I'm proud of ya."

I let out a groan as more pain washed through my leg.

"You're welcome." Gaius nodded.

The palace doors opened again. Through my bleary vision, I made out Lissa, Maribelle, and Cynthia, rushing down the steps towards Gaius and me. Maribelle carried several bottles in her arms while Lissa gripped her healing staff. As they approached, Gaius raised an eyebrow.

"A bit much, don't ya think?" He said with a small laugh.

"For an injured Shepherd, it is never enough." Maribelle sniffed as she popped the cork on a vulnerary and shoved the vial between my lips. Forcing me to quickly gulp down the bitter-tasting, blue liquid, "What foolish shenanigans caused this injury?"

"Looks to me like Cynthia's boot caused it." Lissa said with a slight laugh as she wrapped her hands around my increasingly swollen knee. Her healing staff glowed green over my knee, and the pain began to ebb away, "I'm guessing some snapped tendons are in there. That'll be fun." Lissa sighed before looking up at Cynthia, "Nice kick."

"Th-thanks." Cynthia replied with a nervous smile.

Maribelle sniffed at Lissa's compliment, "We should move Samuel indoors where we can work more properly on his injury."

Lissa nodded in agreement, "Gaius, grab his legs."

"Gotcha."

"Be fucking gentle!" I snapped as Gaius moved to my ankles.

Maribelle's hand smacked my cheek. A deep scowl rested on her face, "Watch your crude language."

_I'll say whatever I damn well please right now!_ That's what I wanted to say, but my reply ended up being a simple nod. Pain, and Maribelle's stern glare, rendered me mostly silent at this moment.

"Cynthia, help Gaius," Lissa ordered

"Right."

Cynthia hooked her arms under mind. Both she and Gaius heaved me up off of the ground. I hissed in pain, causing Maribelle to roll her eyes.

"It is just a dislocated knee. No need for the dramatics."

"Dislocated?" I paled.

"Great job, Maribelle. Way to mince words." Gaius droned as the four of them took me towards the barracks.

"There's no point in lying to him." Maribelle shrugged, "Magically healing the ligaments and tendons will take time. But first we need to pop it back in place."

"Wait, what!?" I gasped, suddenly short of breath.

"Reel it back, Maribelle." Lissa breathed as she reached for the door.

"Then there is the matter of him feeling his tendons bend, stretch, and reattach to the-"

I blocked out whatever she said next. Whatever it was, I did not want to hear it. Instead, I sucked in sharp breaths through gritted teeth and did the next best thing other than listening to Maribelle describe in great detail the extent of my injury. I focused on the pain.

* * *

This was a familiar situation. Back home, in my world, my knees were never the best. My mom always said I inherited my grandfather's knees. They were brittle things that liked to hurt at the slightest twist or bump. These knees were the reason I never went far in high school sports, despite the actual effort I put in at first. They were also the biggest reason I despise running in any shape and form. Quite honestly, I am amazed that they lasted this long during training and that they did not give out on their own.

Instead, it took a brutal kick by an armored boot to take me down. Improvement folks! I sighed and glanced at my knee, wrapped up tight with cloth, propped up on the barracks sofa with a soft pillow beneath it.

At least I was used to this uncomfortable position. According to Lissa and Maribelle, it should only be a couple of days before I'm back on my feet. Just enough time to give the tendons and ligaments that were magically repaired about an hour ago some time to rest.

Needless to say, that entire process was less than soothing. First, Maribelle quite unceremoniously snapped my knee back in place. She told me she would count to three. Should have known that was bullshit because Gaius was giggling like a psychopath before she even started counting. She snapped it before she even said one. I screamed like a little girl, much to Gaius and Lissa's eternal amusement. Then the magic flooded my leg. I could feel the tendons and ligament stretching and moving back to their proper. While uncomfortable, there was a strange… I don't even know how to describe it; a buzzing feeling. Kind of like when your leg falls asleep, only not as uncomfortable.

The feeling remained for hours after Lissa and Maribelle stopped their work. Now I sat alone in the barracks. A fire crackled in the fireplace thanks to Gaius, who went back home to make sure Yarne didn't have a panic attack over something or another. The thief left quickly, and he had yet to return. Which probably meant I was alone for the evening. Not a bad thing, but getting to bed was going to be a bit of a challenge.

I let out another long sigh then glanced at the bowl of stew I had in my hands. I hadn't touched it yet. Unusual for me. Usually, I would be so hungry after training that I would wolf down whatever was put in front of me then ask for more. But tonight I did not feel very hungry. I wasn't exactly sure why. It wasn't the knee pain ruining my appetite. More magical go-go juice and a healing staff managed to soothe that just fine.

No, what bothered me was my performance during training today. I felt surprised, to say the least. Anna absolutely thrashed me day in and day out. While she and Gaius said I improved, I failed to see it, until I fought Cynthia. The blue-haired Pegasus Knight said she would go easy on me, and though it did not feel like she did at first, the feeling of her boot kicking my knee out of place told me she did. And yet, after breaking her training lance and forcing her to go all out, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

I shook my head and swirled my spoon through the stew broth.

_Don't get too excited._ I glanced down at my heavily wrapped knee. _You're still you._

The door to the barracks slammed open, nearly making me leap out of my seat and spill my stew across the floor. Happy, my lone companion in the barracks, did not even bother to raise his head from the rug near the fire as he slumbered.

Cynthia uttered a happy sigh as I looked over my shoulder to see her barge in and stretch her arms over her head. Her armor was long gone, replaced by a long-sleeved blue shirt and skirt. "Nice and warm in here."

"Indeed, my good comrade, fellow member of our cabal of justice!" Owain declared as he sauntered in after her and flopped down in a chair beside me, "Good Samwise, how fares your wound?"

"Wound?" Severa rolled her eyes as she walked in, arms folded over her chest. She took her usual spot near the fire, "Gawds, a leg giving out is hardly a wound."

"It so is Severa. I gave it to him." Cynthia declared.

"Hardly something to be proud of." Severa shrugged as Happy strolled up and took a seat beside him. She reached down and started massaging his head, eliciting a few happy pants from the large canine.

"I-I'm not proud of it, I-" Cynthia folded her arms and flopped down on a bench, a long pout on her face, "You're mean."

Severa rolled her eyes again but said nothing back to her. Instead, she turned her gaze to me, "So, you fought Cynthia."

I pursed my lips, "Fought is the debatable term there."

"No, it is not." Owain said as he kicked his legs up over the chair's armrest, "According to Cynthia's telling of events, you shattered her lance."

Severa's eyes widened briefly, "You failed to mention that, Cynthia."

Cynthia smiled nervously, "Well," She chuckled, "Not my proudest moment."

I narrowed my eyes as the blue-haired girl, "You saying I'm not a good fighter?"

Cynthia jumped, "I well- you-"

I started chuckling as she struggled to answer. Her cheeks flushed as she grew more flustered. Owain joined in my laughter. Then, to all of our shock, Severa chuckled under her breath.

"You're all mean!" Cynthia cried, curling up tighter in her chair.

"Just teasing ya." I replied with a grin.

I reached for my bowl of stew and swirled my spoon through the broth once again. This time, I decided to take a bite. As I dug into my stew, the door to the barracks opened again.

"Odd of ya to be out here, Mr. Gaius." Kjelle's loud voice boomed.

"Yeah, well. I gotta make sure Sammy's doing alright." Gaius replied as he sauntered in after her.

Kjelle shrugged and took a seat at the barracks bar. She reached over the counter and grabbed one of the few bottles of alcohol still inside of the place.

"Drink anyone?"

Cynthia raised her hand.

"Not you." Kjelle remarked.

"Why not?"

"The fact that you have to ask why not tells us why." Severa replied before laying her head back against her chair, "I'll take one, Kjelle."

"One for me too." Gaius muttered as he sank onto a bench near the fire.

"I shall abstain." Owain replied with a nod.

"Sam?" Kjelle asked.

I blinked, "Yeah, uh… sure."

Kjelle poured and delivered the drinks. When I took mine, I took a small sip, winced as the alcohol burned my tongue, then reached to set the glass down on the table in front of me.

"So how long are you out of commission?" Kjelle asked as she retook her seat at the bar.

"A couple of days." I replied with a shrug, "Nothing too major, thankfully."

Gaius blinked, "Did I just hear you say that? You're looking forward to getting back to training?"

Owain's mouth fell open. My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to form a reply.

"Well, um… you see… damn it."

"Ha!" Severa exclaimed, "All that complaining for nothing. Good luck, Sam. Everyone's gonna be extra hard on you now."

I raised my brow, "And they weren't already?" I nodded at my knee, "I'm wounded here."

She waved her hand, "Walk it off."

"I literally can't."

"Both of you don't start. I don't want the migraine." Gaius sighed as he massaged his temple, "Already had to calm Yarne down after accidentally slamming the door too loudly." He took a long gulp of his alcohol, "Seems no matter what I do, he won't just… get better. I know it sounds horrible to say, and I'm doing everything I can to help the kid, but…" Gaius shook his head and glanced at the amber liquid in his glass, "This shit is making me talk again."

"You don't have to be upset about talking to us, Mr. Gaius." Cynthia said with a gentle smile.

Gaius snorted, "That grin makes you look like your ma." He gulped down the rest of his drink, "And I'm not gonna burden you kids with my problems. We'll leave it at that."

"Fair enough." Severa shrugged, she stopped rubbing Happy's head and craned her neck to look over at Kjelle, "Seen Laurent lately?"

Kjelle shook her head, "He's holed up in the Academy with Noire, her dad, and his mom. I hear their working on something big up there. Some sort of major research into the archives. Not sure what about."

I paused as I brought another spoonful of stew to my mouth. Major research at the Mage's Academy? I did not know much about the bad future in the Awakening game, but I knew that the only way any of these people survived was by executing a ritual that sent them back in time. I pressed my lips into a thin line before bringing my spoon to my mouth.

Was Laurent helping research that same ritual? Maybe, but I could not know for certain. For all I know, they could be researching information about the Grima himself and how he came into being. A way for them to possibly find a weakness by scouring ancient texts about the Fell Dragon.

_Even though his only weakness is an exalted Falchion, something they know nothing about._

But I know about it.

That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I glanced around at the group of people enjoying a warm night by the fire with me. I know how to possibly save all of them from a terrible fate. I know how to save them from having to execute a perilous ritual, from losing their families and their homes. Or at least, I think I do. It had been a while since I did a full playthrough of the game. Some details were missing for me. In this case, they were major details that I wished I could recall.

Perhaps it was a good thing I could not recall them. That meant I had a valid excuse for not divulging the information that I already know. That all of the parents were going to die. That Grima was going to be victorious in his initial conquest, and their only hope of stopping him was to do some ritual that exalts Falchion. Or something along those lines. Incomplete information could be just as dangerous as none at all, right?

I exhaled and massaged my head with my right hand.

"You alright, Sammy?"

I flicked my eyes up over to Gaius. He was staring at me intently, a new drink swirling in his glass.

"Y-yeah." I replied, "Just thinking about today."

Gaius nodded, "Lots to think about, yeah. You did good today, Sammy. Fought well, learned a lot. Now we just gotta get you healthy, and we can get back to it. Besides, a couple days rest will probably do you some good."

I nodded in agreement. As I nodded, my leg started to go numb again. I quickly started to massage my thigh as I rested on the sofa.

"So," I began, hoping to take my mind off of everything, "Have you guys heard from the others?"

Gaius pursed his lips, "Not recently, no." He leaned back in his seat and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small piece of chocolate. He popped it into his mouth and chewed a moment, "That worries me."

"It's not like Lucy to not say anything for this long." Cynthia muttered.

"She's fine." Severa stated quickly, "If anyone can hold off the Risen, it'll be her, Lady Tiki, and Khan Flavia. Besides, she's not the only Shepherd up there, you guys. She's got Morgan's brains, Mrs. Sully's brawn, Mr. Lon'qu's skill, and Mr. Libra's magic." She shifted in her seat and sipped her drink, "They're fine."

"I hope you're right." Kjelle muttered, "I've heard rumors among the guards along the outer wall. They think Sir Frederick's gonna lead an army north to reinforce 'em soon."

Gaius's eyes darted over to Kjelle as she spoke.

"Really?" Cynthia replied, "Does that mean we will-"

"You kids won't be going near those front lines. Not if I have anything to say about it." Gaius interrupted. He got up from his seat, finished the last of his drink, and moved to set his glass down on the bar, "Battlefield's no place for kids."

"Morgan's my age." Cynthia reminded him.

"She's also nearly as powerful as Nah's old man was at that age. And you all know what he was capable of when he was around." Gaius muttered, voice much quieter than usual. He shook his head and took a deep breath, "Rest tomorrow, Sammy. I'll… I'll come check on ya soon."

Without another word, he exited the barracks. I furrowed my brow in confusion as the door clicked shut behind him.

"Is he okay?" I asked Severa.

Severa frowned back, "Did he look okay?"

"Sev," Kjelle sighed, "Sam doesn't know."

"Doesn't know what?" I replied.

Kjelle poured herself another drink, "Today is the anniversary of Grima's first siege of Themis. The entire reason why Lady Maribelle, Lord Donnel, and Brady live here instead of there." She threw back her entire drink in one gulp, "Because there doesn't exist anymore."

"A lot of Shepherds died during that siege." Cynthia muttered, "I-" She swallowed hard, "My parents died in the first battle, all the way in Plegia. But… but..."

"But a lot of our parents died that day." Kjelle sighed. She gave me a melancholic look, "Yarne's ma died in that siege. Passed in Gaius's arms on the battlefield, so I hear at least." She sipped her drink, "My pa died that day. Saved my ma's life, he did." Her jaw clenched tight, then relaxed, "She ain't been the same since. Been colder since that day."

"Both of Nah's parents died that day." Owain muttered, "Inigo lost his father. Gerome lost his mother." His usual cheer was long gone, "I had forgotten that happened on this day."

"That's because you haven't lost anyone yet," Severa grumbled.

A hurt look washed over Owain's face, "You forget, Exalt Chrom and Queen Sumia were my family as well!"

A flash of guilt ran over Severa's face, "Yeah, well… fair point, I guess. I'm sorry."

Cynthia appeared surprised by Severa's apology. Kjelle shrugged her shoulders as she sat at her spot at the bar, pouring another drink.

"We all have bad moods today. Ain't nothing to be sorry about." She raised this glass in the air, "To you, Pa." She gulped it down in one go, slammed the glass down, then set the bottle back behind the counter, "Better stop now. I've got guard duty again tomorrow."

"You must've done something to upset Sir Frederick," Cynthia said.

"Fighting with sharp weapons will do that." Severa sighed, "He's just trying to teach you responsibility." She kicked her legs up on the arm of her chair and reached down to stroke Happy's head again, "He did the same to me, Lucina, Gerome, and Inigo. Just do what he says, and you'll get back on his good side soon."

Kjelle snorted, "It's been a few weeks already. I'd say soon has long passed." She trudged towards the door, "You all sleep well."

"Goodnight, Kjelle," Cynthia called back to her before the door shut. She glanced down as the door clicked shut, "She never does good today."

"None of us do." Severa huffed, "The only day worse than today is the anniversary of this stupid war."

"It is not a stupid war," Owain replied sharply.

"You know what I meant by that." Severa replied, "I meant this war is stupid only because the Fell Dragon is stupid." She started scratching behind Happy's ears, "I hope, when we do kill him, he burns in hell for all eternity." A long sigh left her lips, she finished her drink, then got up, "I'm out of here."

"Goodnight, Sev," Cynthia said as the redhead silently strode out of the barracks.

Owain stretched his arms over his head, "I suppose we should turn in as well, Cynthia. Shall we assist Samwise to his chambers before we retire as well?"

Cynthia shrugged, "I guess." She turned to me, "Ready for bed?"

I gave her a quiet nod. It was not like I had much of a choice. Once they left, I would have no one to help me get down the hall to the bunkroom.

Owain wrapped one of my arms over his shoulders while Cynthia went ahead to set up my cot. As I hopped my way down the hall, my mind lingered on the significance of today. It was no wonder Gaius seemed much more intense with the combat training today. He was in a bad mood. Despite the circumstances surrounding today, he held himself together remarkably. All of them did. Their strength in the face of such tragedy left me dumbfounded.

I entered the bunkroom and flopped back onto my cot.

"I got it from here, guys," I muttered.

"Okay, um… I guess send Happy if you need anything." Cynthia said before waving goodbye. Happy loped into the room as both she and Owain left.

"I don't think Happy can enter the palace on his own," Owain argued as they disappeared down the hall.

"You never know, he totally could…"

Their conversation disappeared. Once again, I was left alone with my thoughts, my conflicts. As I lay there, staring up at a dusty ceiling, I began to wonder, was it right to hold back the stuff I knew, even if it might not be entirely accurate?

_If I say anything, Frederick will think I'm insane and throw me out._ I gulped at that thought. My mind returned to the ruins of Southtown and how I only survived thanks to the Shepherds' timely arrival, _I won't make it out there._

Then again, they won't make it if I say nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! Another training chapter, but Sam needs it, trust me. And we got to learn a little more about Anna and Gaius, as well as the fates of a few of the first-gen Shepherds. And now Sam is starting to have reservations about his continued charade. We'll see how that goes, won't we? Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!
> 
> Come join the Treehouse! Discord code is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> Also, check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Narwhal Lord, Stormtide Leviathan, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts! You can find the podcast on Spotify and on Soundcloud! Hope to see you all there!


	7. He is a Thief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start  
> Chapter 7  
> He is a Thief

Have you ever had one of those absolutely amazing nights of sleep? You know the kind I mean. The kind that occurs after a very long, hard day of work; where you flop down on whatever looks soft, shut your eyes and are dead to the world for eight hours. The kind where, no matter how strange of a dream you dream, you will not wake up, let alone twitch as you enjoy that amazing slumber. That kind of sleep. Yeah… I was having one of those sleeps.

Keyword there being 'was'.

One moment, I was sleeping peacefully. No feeling in any of my limbs. My head sunk deep into the lone, feather pillow that I (after weeks of sleepless nights) had finally gotten used to. Dead to the world.

Then the door to the barracks bunkhouse slammed open, interrupting my dreams. The sudden slam was followed by a hand harshly shaking my shoulder. I uttered a long, irritated groan and rolled over, turning my head away from whoever was shaking my shoulder.

_Let me sleep._

"Saaaammmmy."

A heavy sigh left my lips as one of my eyes cracked open. Even though my entire body was relaxed, I could feel my shoulders drop as I made eye contact with a very giddy Gaius crouching in front of my face. The first time he did that, weeks ago, he startled me so badly that I fell out of bed and gave him laughter material for a week. But now, after weeks of him waking me up this way, all I could do was utter another annoyed grunt and roll back over.

"It's not even dawn," I mumbled, failing to notice the irony in what I said. Back in my old life, dawn would have been an extremely early wake up for me. To think that I would consider dawn sleeping in today would have been laughable not long ago.

"Dawn's only in an hour or so. Besides, you'll need the time." Gaius informed me as he rushed around my small cot and shoved my shoulder with his hand, "Up and at 'em, Sammy. Don't make me get a water bucket."

I shot up from my pillow, "Once was enough!" I barked, wide awake.

Gaius threw his head back and laughed, "Aw, but I was looking forward to having another funny story to tell the other kids." He chuckled some more, spun on his heel, and sauntered towards the door, "I'll be waiting for ya in the common room. Hurry up."

I did not stop grumbling the entire short time it took me to peel myself from bed and get dressed. My incoherent grumbling continued as I trudged down the hall towards the empty common room, my boots dragging along the floor as I still felt too tired to take proper steps.

Yesterday's training had been exhausting. It wasn't just weapons training. It was thief (or 'Scout', as Gaius was keen to remind me) training too. Lots of jumping from one cramped spot in the yard to another. Crouches, rolls, sprints ending in very abrupt stops, followed by crouching again. Honestly, my legs felt like lead. Which should not have surprised me, that was how my legs felt every morning ever since I woke up near the ruins of Southtown so long ago.

_How long has it been anyway?_ I wondered as I attempted to count the weeks in my mind. I lost track around month two, causing my eyes to widen a little in surprise, _Already nearly a quarter year here? How the hell did that happen?_

I entered the common room. No fire burned in the fireplace. There was no breakfast waiting, but Gaius did have a second glass of water waiting for me. I sighed and took the glass, quickly gulping down the cooling liquid.

"You'll need your cloak and daggers today," Gaius informed me with an excited grin.

I raised an eyebrow, "We never train with my cloak on."

Gaius shrugged, "Well, it's time ya started." His grin grew more mischievous as I moved across the room to a coat hanger near the door and snagged my black hooded cloak from it. I clasped the fabric over my shoulders and gave Gaius a suspicious look as he practically bounced up and down in his seat.

"You look like Cynthia right now, you know that right?"

"Can ya blame me? I've got something special in mind for today." He rubbed his hands together, giving me a clue as to what he wanted me to do.

"What flavor of tart this time?" I muttered as I trudged back over to him, right hand rubbing the sleep from my right eye, "Strawberry? Cherry?"

"Tart? Did I say anything about a tart?"

I drew back a little, "Isn't it a little early for cake."

Gaius jabbed my chest, "Don't say something so blasphemous. It is never too early for cake."

I snorted, "You sound like my mother."

"Good, she sounds like a smart lady."

I waved him off, "Alrighty then, you want me snatching a cake from the kitchens. Chocolate? Strawberry?" I furrowed my brow, "If you say cheesecake I'm going to demand I have a slice."

"When have I ever not shared the spoils?" Gaius reminded me. He patted my arm with the back of his hand as he leaned up against the bar counter, "Besides, you aren't going to steal from the kitchens today. That's gotten too easy for ya."

"I nearly had my skull caved in by a rolling pin a few days ago," I said, voice deadpan.

"But did you die?" Gaius smirked back, "Stop complaining, you've been doing good. But now… we have to kick things up a notch. I can teach, I can show, all of the stuff you need to know; but you and I both know that the best way to learn is to actually do the thing you're trying to learn. Am I right?"

My suspicion grew, "Why do I get the feeling you are about to ask me to do something exceptionally illegal?"

Gaius feigned offense, "Me? I would never!"

I chuckled and shook my head, "Yeah, you would. I've stolen how many pastries now?"

"You've only been doing my dirty work for a few weeks now, don't worry. If anyone actually cared, Frederick would have been on your ass already."

I narrowed my eyes and opened my mouth, only to be silenced by Gaius raising his hand.

"Swear to Naga, you better not twist that any worse than I already have in my mind."

I chuckled again and drank what was left in my water glass.

"So, what are we doing this time?"

Gaius cleared his throat and leaned closer to my ear, "I need you to get me something."

I nodded slowly, "I figured as much." I replied with heavy sarcasm.

"Not a sweet. No, I'm going to have you break into something much… much… muuuuuch, more secure."

I gulped at the connotations behind that description, "Please tell me I'm not breaking into the palace vault."

"Pfft… that? That's easy." Gaius replied with a dismissive wave.

"Says you!" I shot back, "And if that is so easy, then shouldn't I be doing that? You know, taking things one baby step at a time."

"Sometimes you've gotta run before you can walk, Sammy." Gaius drawled back, "I've got something far more dangerous in mind for you. This mission-"

"Should I choose to accept it," I replied with a slight snicker.

"You're gonna accept it, otherwise I'm telling Freddy you stole his smallclothes."

"But I did-" I sucked in a sharp breath and gave him an incredulous look, "What the hell are you doing at night?"

"Nothing important." Gaius shrugged, "Just keep it in mind. Anyways, the job I have in mind involves a certain merchant."

All color rushed from my face, "No." I said quickly.

Gaius sighed, "Sammy-"

"Make that a hell no." I protested, pushing away from the bar, "Every damn time you have drawled out 'Sammy', you've put me through hell."

Gaius snorted, "A bit of a subjective description but I'll allow it."

I hung my head, "Gaius, please don't make me do this."

"Deal with her, or deal with Freddy."

"That is a no-win situation!" I cried.

Gaius nodded as a devious smile formed on his lips, "Yes it is. How are you going to handle it?"

I huffed and put my hands on my hips. My head shook again as I could not believe which option I was about to take.

"I'll be damned if I get blamed for stealing Frederick's underpants."

"Good!" Gaius nodded, "So, in Anna's tent-" I whimpered a little bit as he started explaining the job to me, "She has this brooch, jewel, pin thingy. Wears it all the time. Shaped like a gold and red dragon's head. Only ever takes it off when she goes to sleep. How do I know that? Well, she and I have been out beyond the walls more than a few times and-"

"Is Yarne okay with that?" I asked with a nervous laugh.

"Not like that!" Gaius exclaimed, "Naga, no. Anna would castrate me if I tried." He shivered, "Crivens, just the thought of that gives me the shakes." He exhaled as I kept laughing under my breath, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I'll be the one laughing soon."

"Oooh, I don't doubt that," I muttered, wiping the last little bits of sleep from my eyes with my fingers.

Gaius nodded, "You gonna let me finish now?"

"Please do." I motioned with my hand, "Tell me how I'm going to sign my death warrant."

"You're overexaggerating." Gaius remarked, "So, this brooch, Anna takes it off when she goes to sleep at night. Keeps it close to her bedside, but just far enough away to pinch without her knowing. Your mission is to snatch the brooch and get it back here, to me, without her knowing the wiser."

"She's gonna know," I mumbled.

"And if she does, you do what you have to do to complete the mission." Gaius reminded, "Remember, by any means necessary. Except killing, don't do that. Not in this case. Maiming… er… nothing too permanent."

"Can you tell Anna that when she is chasing my scrawny ass down for daring to do this?" I asked as I moved towards the door, donning my dark hood, and contemplating what I did to anger either God, Naga, or Grima so much as to bestow this kind of punishment upon me.

"I'll be cheering for you!" Gaius raised his glass.

The door shut behind me, leaving me alone in the cool, early morning air. I sucked in a deep breath, letting the chill in the air rush into my lungs and wake me up all the way. I exhaled and bowed my head.

_This is beyond stupid._

With a final, reluctant sigh, I moved quickly towards the palace gates and slipped into the early morning darkness covering Ylisstol.

* * *

At this moment, or really any moment, I could not recall offhand the definition of suicide, or suicidal, or insane. But as I approached Anna's tent, tiptoeing along the wall of a nearby carpenter's shop, I knew that this was the definition of all three. It was one thing to make Anna mad. I frustrated her daily with my lack of fighting aptitude (although both she and Gaius insisted I was making improvements). It was another to make her furious, livid, so mad that the Incredible Hulk would be impressed.

Frustration and fury were two very different emotions for the red-haired merchant. One I have seen regularly. The other I have never witnessed, and thank God for that. Although I have heard of Anna's legendary acts of retribution. Apparently, the last time Gaius managed to steal something from her, she filled his entire pants and small clothes drawer with invisible itching powder brewed up by both Miriel and Laurent. She then proceeded to hide the only cure for a full week after that. Poor Gaius had to wear itchy clothes, or burn them all and wear nothing. While I would not have put it past Gaius to saunter through the Exalt's palace stark naked, I knew Frederick and, certainly Maribelle, would not allow that. So for a week, Gaius suffered. Now I feared I would be next.

_All for a damn brooch._ I thought, a long scowl covering my face.

This test was going to be the death of me. I could feel it in my gut.

I inched my way up to Anna's tent. My heart hammered in my chest. My pulse pounded and I could feel my breathing grow heavy. Before I moved my hand to push the tent entry open, I closed my eyes and took one quiet, deep breath. One of the first things Gaius taught me about sneaking around, control your breathing. By doing that, you force yourself to remain calm. Also, breathing can be very, very loud. Someone as alert as Anna would hear even the smallest sharp intake of breath. There was no room for error in this instance.

I carefully stepped into Anna's tent, doing everything in my power to avoid any sharp noises from occurring when I pushed the tent flap open. The inside was just as cluttered as I remember but in its usual organized sort of way. Anna had a method to her madness. There were jars and boxes of stuff everywhere. Everything had a label. But none of those boxes or jars were put in a specific place for a specific purpose. It made me wonder how she managed to find anything at all while at the same time marveling at how she managed to keep it all straight in her head.

My boots sank into a soft fur rug and I thanked my lucky stars. I had forgotten all about that. The rug muffled my footsteps, allowing my clumsy ass to move more quietly through the tent. I crouched low to the ground and crept my way forward, slowly making my way towards the small corner of the tent where Anna slept and kept her personal belongings.

A small snore made me freeze. My gaze creaked towards a small bedroll set up in the far corner. A mess of red hair, tangled up in knots, greeted my eyes. Anna slept peacefully on her side, a slight hint of drool hanging out of the corner of her mouth. She snored again, mumbled something, then rolled over onto her back.

I puckered my lips and took an extremely careful step forward.

A bird squawked.

_That goddamn chicken!_ I glared over at a wicker cage near the foot of Anna's bed. The damn bird eyeballed me, clucked, then nestled back down on its small bed of straw.

_Cluck again and I may decide to try and figure out what eleven herbs and spices make you taste good._ I swallowed, _That is if I somehow manage to survive through today._

I slithered forward, drawing close to a small chest near Anna's pillow. Anna snored, mumbled, gave me a slight heart attack, then dozed again. I quietly exhaled and looked at the assortment of trinkets on top of the wooden chest. Nothing shiny caught my eye. There was a half-empty bottle of firewine and a used shot glass.

_Explains why she is sleeping so hard._

I saw a tattered notebook next to the bottle with a quill resting on top of it. A nearly empty inkwell sat on the other side of the chest, far away from the notebook. Beneath the small notebook was an even larger, heavier looking notebook. Various small scraps of paper protruded from the pages. I noticed various numbers scribbled on the papers and reasoned that had to be Anna's ledger.

_Even in the apocalypse, she keeps track of everything._ I thought to myself with a wry smirk, _Always count your pennies, right Anna?_

I frowned to myself. No brooch. Not even a hint of gold on top of the chest. A nervous breath slipped from my lips as I eyed the padlock on the latch.

_I'm gonna have to crack it open, aren't I?_

Anna snorted again and rolled on her side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright flash as the first rays of sunlight filtered into the tent. My eyes went wide, my stomach dropped, and my throat tightened. Carefully, I turned my head and saw it. A red and gold brooch, pinned just above her left breast.

My eyes closed and I fought off the urge to let out a defeated groan. I held my head in my hands and looked at the padlock.

_Why!?_ I thought, _Why did she have to be wearing it!?_ I shook my head as I glanced up at the roof, _Gaius I swear to God I'm going to kick your ass for this._

I glanced over at the brooch on Anna's chest again. In the back of my mind, I wondered, maybe Gaius meant a different brooch? Because how many gold and red dragon heads could someone like Anna have, right? I mean, she's a merchant, so she must have more. Or at the very least, something similar.

I shook my head. That was all wishful thinking. Anna kept this trinket close to her at all times, which meant that it was extremely valuable to her. Not just monetarily either, but personally. She will not have another one.

I inhaled through my nose and held my breath. The knot in my gut twisted tighter as I tried to figure out how the hell I was going to get that brooch off of Anna. Was it a pin like in my world? Or was it a clip-on piece of jewelry?

_What the fuck am I doing?_

I had no way of knowing how this thing was secured to her nightshirt. Part of me thought about calling this mission a wash and quickly retreating out. Honestly, being blamed for stealing Frederick's underpants wasn't sounding too bad right about now. What's the worst that could happen from that? Frederick gets mad and makes me do some sort of manual labor for an entire day. I can do that. I did manual labor for a living back home during the summer months, when Wisconsin wasn't a block of ice.

Oh, and what was the worst Anna could do to me? I'm not even close to creative enough to imagine the torture she'd come up with.

My eyes glanced back and forth. To abort, or not to abort? Either way, I end up losing. In fact, there was only one way to victory in this scenario: successfully take the brooch.

_If I'm fucked either way, I might as well make it one gigantic fuck._

Sweat beaded on my brow. My hand shook as it moved towards the brooch. I scooted a little closer to Anna, boots shuffling against the fur rug. The chicken clucked again, and I swear I could smell it frying at that moment. I gave the damn bird one long glare. It glared back at me.

The chicken squawked so loud that I jumped and fell forward. Ice shot through my veins as my hand grabbed hold of something nowhere near as small or hard as a golden brooch. I froze, and Anna's eyes opened.

She blinked and yawned. Her lips smacked together. I did not move a single muscle as I prayed that maybe, just maybe, she would go back to sleep. But I was not that lucky.

Her eyes narrowed at me. I stared wide-eyed back at her. Both of our gazes drifted towards my hand.

I don't think I've ever felt my heart stop so hard in my life as I realized what I was grabbing.

"Uh-um-uh-" I darted my eyes back up to a furious Anna. Time to decide how badly I was going to die. Did she care more about her brooch or her boob? Knowing Anna, it was the brooch, "Would you believe me if I said this is exactly what it looks like?"

"You…" Anna seethed, jaw clenched tight.

One thought ran through my mind at that moment as I saw her hand move towards the spot where I knew she always kept a dagger.

_Fuck it._

I ripped the brooch from her shirt, which elicited a furious roar from Anna. The chicken squawked. Feathers flew through the air as I started to sprint away, accidentally knocking the cage over and setting the little fucker free.

For some reason, despite not hearing anything like it for several months now, I could hear the guitar solo from Free Bird playing in the back of my mind. If anyone was watching me race out of Anna's tent, it must've looked like I was running in slow motion. But by god, I did not feel like I was. I don't think I've run this fast in my entire damn life.

Anna roared behind me as she shot out of her tent, giving chase. The early morning traffic had started in the market, and her roar brought it all to a sudden standstill. I wove my way through the early morning shoppers and merchants, not even bothering to say excuse me or pardon me. Manners go out the window when my life is on the line.

A throwing knife whistled past my ear, causing me to yelp and sprint even faster towards the closest alley.

"I'm going to kill you!" Anna screamed.

"Can't you let me apologize first!?"

Another knife shot past my ear, grazing the top of my ear lobe. I felt hot blood dribble down the right side of my face. Adrenaline shot through my veins. Fear pumped through my blood. With that fear came a strange feeling. A thrill, like how I thought daredevils felt whenever they pulled off some death-defying stunt (not that I've ever done that till now). A smile, both terrified and excited, crossed my lips as I ducked into an alley and yanked some crates down behind me.

A curse bellowed through the air, which told me I managed to make Anna trip up. That would not happen again. I knew that for certain. All I could do right now was try to escape and maybe, just maybe, elude Anna and get the brooch to Gaius. Let the merchant then unleash all of her anger on the actual schemer instead of the poor soul being made to go through with this idiocy.

_I'm the bigger idiot._ I thought as the alley came to a dead end.

"Fuck!" I cried.

I caught sight of a rickety ladder running up the side of a three-story market building. Without any hesitation, I raced to the ladder and started scrambling up it. My foot slipped on one of the bottom rungs, nearly sending me flat on my back. But a desperate, iron grip of fear kept me from plummeting down.

"GET BACK HERE!"

_Shit, shit, shit!_

I scrambled up the ladder and stumbled up onto the rooftop. I did not think anymore, I just moved. I knew I had to get back to the Shepherd's Barracks. Gaius was waiting for me there. If I could get back there, maybe Anna would not kill me, because Gaius would not allow that to happen.

I sprinted along the rooftop then hopped down to a second story building next door. My legs buzzed as they absorbed the impact before I ducked into a roll and came up running. I heard Anna do the same thing behind me. She was getting close.

_How is she so fast!?_

Another three-story building came up. I uttered a whine then picked up my speed. With every ounce of power I could muster, I jumped up against the wall. I managed to get two steps up the wall before reaching up and barely snagging the gutter on the next roof.

Normally I suck at pull-ups. Have never been good at them. Only ever managed to do two or three in a row before getting tired. But that had to be the best damn pull up I have ever done. I got to my feet on the next roof, returned to a sprint, and without any hesitation, jumped across a narrow alley to the next building.

I stumbled when I landed. A stumble that I knew would cost me dearly. As I regained my balance, I felt hands pound me from behind, knocking me onto my belly.

"Got you, bastard!" Anna snarled.

I flipped over and yelped as she stabbed down with a dagger. At the last possible second, I jerked my head out of the way. With instincts developed from weeks of getting my ass perpetually kicked, I snapped my head up and headbutted Anna right in the nose.

A wet pop rang through the air. Anna howled as she fell backward. I got up, dizzy from the sharp blow to the head. After stumbling a couple of steps I managed to miss the fact that I was near the edge of a building. I screamed as I fell off the edge.

Pain erupted through my body as I fell hard into a wooden cart. I squeezed my eyes shut and moaned as aches washed over my body. Sputtering coughs wracked my lungs as I writhed in the cart.

_What is even going on anymore?_

It took me about two more seconds before I realized that the cart had started moving. The old man driving it apparently did not notice me fall with a massive wham into his little cart. Neither did the shaggy old horse pulling it along at a leisurely pace.

I struggled to sit up. Stray bits of straw covered my head and shoulders. I winced and hissed when I felt my back tighten up. Before I could finish gathering my bearings I looked up. Anna sprinted across the rooftops, following the cart. I blinked in surprise, looked into my clenched right hand, and saw the brooch digging into my palm.

_Oh right._ I thought, mind still in a daze, _That's still happening._

A shrill scream erupted from my lungs as Anna leaped from the end of a building, soared through the air, and landed in front of me in the back of the cart. I stared up at the most enraged person I have ever seen in my life. Blood ran out of Anna's nose like scarlet rivers. Her eyes blazed with deadly intent as she clenched her fists.

"Time to die!" She declared.

Before she could pounce, I kicked out with my leg, forcing her to step backward and nearly fall off the back of the cart. However, she displayed the agility that she used to beat me up so many times before, easily tiptoeing along the back edge of the cart, jumping up onto its side, then falling onto me elbow first.

I howled as her elbow dug into my ribs. Fight or flight kicked in, and there was nowhere I could run to now.

I reached for the sheath strapped to my lower back, where my longer dagger was hidden behind my cloak. With my other hand, I blocked a devastating punch from Anna. The bones in my left arm rattled as I deflected the blow. A snarl surged from me as I drew the dagger and took a wild swipe at her. Anna recoiled backward, the tip of my blade narrowly missing her cheek.

I had to keep her off balance. Before she could spring forward again, I sat upright, got onto my knees, and propelled myself into her, tackling her like how I was taught to tackle a running back in seventh grade. My shoulder drove into her gut, knocking the air from her lungs. The momentum of my strike carried us both off of the back of the cart.

Curses and cries erupted from both of us as we tumbled on the cobblestone road behind the cart. When my rolling came to a stop, I felt a sharp pain on my forehead.

_My head..._ I thought. _Someone get me some Tylenol._

"Samwise!"

_I'm dead._

I winced as I got to my knees. I looked towards Anna, who was also on her knees a mere five feet away from me. Her eyes blazed with rage. I uttered a long groan.

"It's Samuel." I uttered an exhausted breath, "U-E-L, at the end."

"I don't give a shit." Anna seethed as she got to her feet at the same time as me, "You grabbed my-"

I drew back in surprise, cutting her off, "I figured you'd be more upset about the brooch."

Anna's eyes widened. Her gaze darted to my hand.

"You mother-"

_Time to go!_

I spun around and face planted right into a wall of blue and white armor. My head spun, stars danced in my eyes, and I fell back on my ass. I gave my head a quick shake and looked up to see Frederick frowning down at me.

"Uh… hi."

Frederick's frown deepened. He raised his gaze to Anna, who slowly stalked towards me.

"Stay put." He ordered the redhead.

"Make me," Anna growled.

"He'll make ya." Both Anna and I glanced over to Gaius, casually leaning against the Palace Walls, "Trust me, Freddy doesn't play around. Speaking from experience there."

Frederick gave Gaius a weary look. I didn't even notice the amused smirk on Gaius's lips as I looked up at the white walls surrounding the Exalt's Palace.

"I made it?" I said, still in a daze. My head lolled towards Gaius, "Hey Gaius," The thief paled as I held the brooch up, "I did it!"

Anna's gaze snapped over to Gaius, "Why you no good, rotten, thieving, son of a-"

"Sammy's idea!" Gaius cried point a finger at me, "All him. I tried to talk him out of it."

"That…" I gasped as I fell onto my back and stared up at the sky, too dazed and tired to try and stand up, "Is a filthy… lie."

"Nope. He thought of it."

"Gaius."

"Yeah, Red?"

"Sam doesn't have the balls to think of what he just did." Anna snarled, "And I know Frederick didn't think of this nonsense."

"Indeed I did not." Frederick replied, "Whatever nonsense this is at least."

"I stole her brooch," I admitted.

"And he grabbed my tit!" Anna roared.

Gaius's eyes widened. A sputtering laugh came from his lips. A laugh he struggled to hold back until Anna glared at him, causing him to snap his mouth closed. His face turned red as he forced himself to not laugh.

"Only because this stupid thing was still on you," I remarked waving the brooch over my nearly limp body. I glanced over at Gaius, "Thanks for that wonderful intel by the way."

Gaius sputtered out a few more laughs, "Y-your welcome."

His laughter came to an abrupt stop when Anna stomped up to me and ripped the brooch from my scraped up palm.

"It's not a stupid thing." She snarled, taking a step back. She glared at Frederick, "I take it you won't let me kill him?"

A weary sigh left Frederick's lips, "Unfortunately no."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"He is a Shepherd, and Lissa would frown upon such a thing." Frederick commented, "But I will make sure his punishment fits the crime."

Anna whined a little bit, "You won't even let me take a finger?"

"What the fuck!?" I cried, now scrambling to my feet and trying to hide behind Frederick, only for the Knight to grab me by the arm and yank me back out in front of him like I was a small child being punished by a parent.

"No, Anna." The longsuffering Knight sighed, "Just… go about your day. I will handle the punishment personally."

"I don't even get a say?" Gaius asked as he stepped towards us, teeth working furiously on a lollipop as Anna glared at him.

"You would just reward him." Frederick pointed out.

Gaius shifted his lollipop from side to side before shrugging, "Eh, you're not wrong." He winked at me, "Nice job, Sammy."

"Gaius you-" Anna clenched her teeth, "You know that this brooch-" She could not even manage to form a full sentence as she grew angrier. So angry in fact that Gaius took a cautious step back.

Before Anna could spring at him next, hooves hammered against the cobblestone road. Frederick's grip on my arm went slack as a lone horse and rider galloped towards us. The horse had burns covering its entire right flank. Dried blood caked its muzzle. The rider was in even worse shape. Her short red hair was caked in both fresh and dried blood. Her face was as pale as a ghost. A glaze sat in her gaze as she swayed to and fro in her saddle, barely managing to remain upright.

"Butch…" Gaius breathed, hands trembling by his sides.

"Sully?" Frederick gasped.

The horse came to a stop beside the Knight. Sully's head hung loose on her neck as she gave Frederick a faraway look.

"W-west Longfort… fallen." She swallowed hard. A fresh trail of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, "Princess Lucina… missing…"

She fell from the saddle. Frederick's arms snapped out and caught her.

"Gaius!" Frederick barked.

The thief was already sprinting the palace doors to fetch Lissa and Maribelle. I turned to look at Anna only to see her sprinting towards the Academy, where Laurent and his mother were at.

"Sam!" Frederick snapped, making me jump, "Get her legs, quickly!"

I glanced at the woman that was limp in Frederick's arms. Her eyes were closed, and I could now see the horrific burn wound over her stomach. The fabric on her uniform was charred. The bottom half of her breastplate was twisted funny as if it was melted down and reformed by something hammering against it. I found myself unable to move as the sight imprinted in my mind. Burning a memory into my brain that I knew I would never forget.

"Samuel!" Frederick snapped again, shaking me free from my thoughts, "Get. Her. Legs."

My shaking hands quickly grabbed Sully by her ankles. Both Frederick and I rushed her towards the Palace doors. The doors were shoved open as Lissa and Maribelle sprinted out, healing staves and vulneraries in hand. A pair of guards with a stretcher followed them. Frederick and I placed Sully on the stretcher while Maribelle and Lissa spoke fervently to each other. All I could make out were the words burns, elixirs, and how.

I watched, body feeling numb, as the guards, Frederick, the Exalt, and her good friend rushed back into the Palace. The rushed past Gaius as the thief staggered back out, face ashen as he caught sight of Sully's horrific wound. The doors shut behind him, and he sagged against the wall.

I moved to help him out, but he shook his head.

"No more today, Sammy." He swallowed hard, "G-go wait in the barracks."

I swallowed hard, "Wait for what?"

He eyed me, anxiety in his eyes, "For the call to war."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! I'm back everyone! Sorry for the wait on a new chapter. Real life plus the holidays hit me out of nowhere and really threw me off rhythm for this story. But now that the chaos is starting to die down, I should be able to get back to getting a chapter out every tuesday for this story. If not, then I'll make certain to let you guys know.
> 
> This was one of the funnest chapters I have ever written. The interactions with Gaius pluse the chase with Anna made me smile the entire time. I hope it did the same for you guys. Then that ending… oh that ending. We are about to really kick off the apocalypse now folks!
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!  
> Come hang out at the Treehouse! Discord link is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> And, come check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Narwhal Lord, Stormtide Leviathan, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts, and we talk about writing, fanfiction, and general nonsense. You can find the podcast on Spotify, and on Soundcloud! Hope to see you all there!


	8. On the Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rigged from the Start  
> Chapter 8  
> On the Road

I grew up a military brat. My father was in the Army, my grandfather was in the Air Force, even my stepfather was in the Army for a time. I grew up around men that stepped onto battlefields, that experienced the hellish landscape of war. I have seen what it does to those people. The mere mention of their experiences always made them grow quiet. Seeing what it did to them, what that lifestyle molded them into, made me vow to myself to never follow in their footsteps. I would never wear a camouflage uniform, fatigues, or jackboots.

Some job I did adhering to that promise.

My hands tapped the armrests of the chair I sat in as I watched flames dance in the fireplace. For the first time in a while, I was not alone for the night in the Shepherd's barracks. Everyone except for Cynthia, Severa, and Kjelle were with me in the barracks. Kjelle did not leave her mother's side once she learned about Sully's dire condition. Healers were attending the Ylissean Cavalier around the clock while Kjelle remained close, praying to Naga that her mother would live. Or, that is what Brady told me he witnessed.

Severa and Cynthia were apparently with Exalt Lissa and the commanding officers in some council room buried deep within the palace, learning how to conduct a war council. Something I am happy I was not a part of. Meetings bored me to death.

But another part of me was anxious to hear what they were discussing. Gaius warned me, before he followed them into the palace, that I needed to wait for the call to war. Ever since, my gut had been twisted into knots. Brady actually offered me some medicine due to how pale I became and how many times I raced down the hallway to the bathroom in the barracks.

I could not go to war. I am not built for warfare. I tucked my chin to my chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down and alleviate the never-ending stomach ache. My hands felt clammy as I opened and closed my fingers. Nervous tension surged into my neck muscles, making them ache.

I knew I was not ready for whatever was coming. I was hopeless at fighting, according to Anna and Frederick. I was a decent sneak, but not sneaky enough to pull off a challenging mission, as evidenced by the bandage wrapped around my ear where one of Anna's throwing knives managed to nick me. I didn't even notice the stinging sensation that lingered from the sensitive gash. My mind was drawn towards my current predicament. As of now, I could not think of any way out of it.

I mean, I could just leave. I could get up, walk out the barracks door, stride through Ylisstol, and disappear into the wilderness. But then what? I would be on my own in the apocalypse. An even worse scenario than being sent off to war with highly skilled warriors by my side. I would not last a single day in the wilds on my own, no matter how much training I have received here.

Besides, even if leaving was the best option, and that is a big if, I could never bring myself to do it. For one, I did not have a viable plan afterward beyond finding a way back to my own world. But that, as far as I was aware, was a longshot; unless I could find the Outrealm Gate. But… hell I didn't really know how it worked. I doubted it was actually a thing in the world of Ylisse. Probably just a game mechanic to sell DLC. I could not afford to gamble my life on a maybe, especially in this environment.

I glanced over at Brady as he kneaded his healing staff. The priest paced two and fro in the process, gruff face impossible to read as he kept to himself. Laurent sat near the bar, studying some plant he plucked from the Academy greenhouses earlier. Drowning his own anxieties in work that he loved. I envied him a bit. He could at least distract himself. Back home, I distracted myself with music, but the music I liked was on my now dead phone, hidden near my bed in the bunkroom. And I never learned how to play an instrument; a major regret I had back in my old life.

Noire swallowed hard to my left. She nervously twiddled her thumbs, darting her gaze up at me then back down to her feet. It was the first time I had seen the archer in quite some time. She was always cooped up in the Academy with Laurent, her father, and Laurent's mother. From what I understood, Noire's father was a madman of a mage. Which meant he was Henry.

_God help that poor kid._ I thought as she shifted nervously.

"I-is there something wrong, Sam?" Noire muttered as I glanced at her.

I pursed my lips, "War is… well…"

"Eh, don't sweat it so much, Sam." Brady grunted, flopping down into a chair to my right, "You'll do fine. If my pa could learn to fight, you sure as shit can too. Sir Frederick and Gaius know what they're doing."

"I don't doubt them." I replied, "I doubt myself."

"Dangerous predicament," Laurent muttered, not removing his attention away from the plant now nestled in the pages of his spellbook. He hastily scribbled notes down in the book, causing Brady to sigh.

"Do ya mean the plant or Sam's situation?" Brady asked.

Laurent blinked, "Oh, Sam's predicament is most dangerous. One cannot lack confidence when engaging the enemy on the battlefield. My father always told me that if you did not believe in your own skillset, then you would falter."

"I doubt he said it with such big words." Brady snorted.

Laurent frowned, "My father may have been a simple man, but an oaf he was not."

"Whatever ya say." Brady remarked, sinking back into the chair, "But he's right ya know, Sam. From what I've heard from the others, you've come a long way since we found ya." He nodded, "You're a survivor, so you'll do fine."

I snorted, "Survivor? I got lucky one time."

"Had to have gotten lucky more than once to live in the wilds as long as you probably did." Brady pointed out.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, "Yeah, well… can't remember the other lucky times, can I?"

Brady shrugged, "Fair."

I shook my head as more doubt filled me. How the hell were they still falling for that lie? Me, an amnesiac? How the heck was I still managing to pull off that lie? Maybe Gaius and Anna's stealth training and less savory ways were rubbing off on me. Or maybe I'm a far more devious person than I thought, and I never got the opportunity back home to really show that. Regardless, the lie continued to make me feel guilty.

These people, the Shepherds, accepted me into their ranks virtually without question. They fed me, housed me, healed me, and trained me so that I could take care of myself if needed. They have been open and honest with me from the start. Sometimes brutally honest in the cases of Frederick and Anna's criticisms. Yet I could not reciprocate that honesty.

Why?

_Because maybe I'm just a coward in the end. I'm afraid of what they will think._ I exhaled, _I'm afraid they'll cast me out and I will have to somehow survive and find my way home on my own._ I bowed my head again, _I am a coward. After all, my first priority is getting home._

The door burst open. Severa, Cynthia, and Kjelle all strode in. All three were armored up, weapons strapped to their hips. Kjelle and Cynthia also had lances, which they leaned against the bar counter before taking seats near the fire.

"How's it going?" Brady asked them.

Severa flopped into her usual chair, "Badly." She muttered.

"Your ma, Kjelle?"

Kjelle sniffled and glanced over at Brady, "She'll live. Exalt Lissa is a damn miracle worker." She looked over at Laurent, "So is your mother. Her elixir saved my mother's life."

"I will make sure to pass on your thanks," Laurent said with a slight smile.

Cynthia gulped loudly as she took a seat on the floor, "Guys… Lucy is missing in action."

Brady grimaced, "We know that Cynthia. What I wanna know is what we're gonna do about it?"

"You kids aren't going to do anything." All of us turned to see Gaius and Frederick marching into the barracks. Frederick stared hard at Brady, "Not yet."

"Freddy is getting the army marshaled." Gaius explained to us, "I'm sure Specs and Junior are working on readying the mages for battle as well. You all will stick by your assigned groups when they march out."

"Who is leading the army?" Cynthia asked suddenly, "Is Auntie Lissa."

"Hark!" Owain tap-danced his way into the barracks, easily sliding around Frederick and Gaius, "My mother; the great maiden of peace, has thus declared that she shall lead the charge into war! She shall join my father, and my own sword hand upon the battlefield. And my legendary blade, Missiletainn, shall fell any foe that dares to harm her!"

"Tone it down already, sheesh," Brady grumbled as Laurent high fived Owain.

"Auntie Lissa's really going?" Cynthia gulped.

"I was surprised too." Severa grumbled, "From what I heard, she's gonna fly with the Pegasus Knights."

"Your aunt knows how to fly?" Kjelle asked Cynthia, surprised.

Cynthia nodded, "She learned after my… my parents died. She's also the one that got me to join the Pegasus Knights. Her and your mom, Sev."

Severa shot Cynthia a dark glare, which made Cynthia shrink back.

"Be ready to march in an hour, all of you." Frederick informed the kids, "We will be heading for Arena Ferox with all haste. I believe that was the next fall back point if the Western Longfort fell."

"But we don't know for certain." Gaius sighed, "No wonder Red went to go get her cart ready to go."

My heart stopped pounding in my chest. I stared at Gaius, suddenly petrified. Gaius sighed and nodded at me.

"Time for you to learn on the job, Sammy." Gaius spun on his heel and waved for me to follow him.

I did not move from my spot on the sofa. My knees knocked together and my stomach churned even worse now. It felt like I was on the verge of vomiting. Apparently, I didn't do a good job of hiding it, because Brady reached out with his staff and cast a green glow over me. Instantly, my stomach pain was alleviated and the nausea that plagued me all day faded away.

"Get going." Brady nodded.

I nodded, rose to my feet, and rushed after Gaius. The cold air of dusk slammed into me, and a dull orange sunset painted the clear skies as Gaius walked a ways away from the barracks, before turning around to face me.

"You've still got your stuff on you from earlier?"

I slowly nodded. My worry grew as Gaius grimaced and took a deep breath. I was so used to Gaius being very playful and mischievous. This though, this deadly serious man wearing leather plates beneath his clothes, was someone I had not seen before. There was an edge in his gaze that told me there would be no joking around once we reached Arena Ferox. This was real, it was actually happening. I am going to war alongside the Shepherds.

God help me.

"Daggers and ax are sharp?" He asked me.

I glanced at the ax on my hip, noticing the razor-sharp edge on the head. I then looked glanced at the small dagger on my other hip, remembering that I sharpened it earlier in the day while I waited anxiously for the others. Finally, I reached behind me to the short scabbard strapped to my lower back and yanked my longer dagger free. I held it up and Gaius nodded.

"That baby could cut stone, good." Gaius nodded, "Freddy managed to teach you proper weapons care at least."

"Take care of your shit and it will take care of you." An old mantra my parents told me when it came to cars, but I figured it applied the same to weapons.

Gaius nodded, "Sound advice." He took a deep breath, "Look Sammy, I ain't gonna lie to you. Frederick and Lissa have asked me, you, and Anna to go ahead of the army and figure out just what the fuck is going on in Ferox. We won't be taking the North Road straight to the Longfort, that'll take too long. We're going overland, across the northwestern part of the country, and right up to the Western Longfort. Part of road takes us through Plegia, but we won't be in that dustbin for long."

My heart lodged itself in my throat.

"That is where Princess Lucina went missing. And Frederick does not believe Khan Flavia would surrender the Western Longfort in its entirety. He thinks there are small cells of Feroxi still fighting. Our mission is to find them, link up with those little bubbles of allies, gather intel on the enemy, and if possible, figure out where Princess Lucina disappeared to."

My mouth felt dry as sand as I absorbed what he told me.

"Sounds dangerous," I muttered.

"Yeah, it is." Gaius agreed, "Red and I haven't done something like this in quite some time. Not since Grima torched Themis in fact."

I swallowed hard and reminded myself to thank Brady for curing my stomach ache. If he didn't, I would have been rushing to the toilet again.

"Am I ready?" I asked, not making an effort to hide my anxiety.

Gaius pursed his lips, "You're gonna have to be." He turned and waved for me to follow him.

We walked in silence down to the markets. Most of the shops were closing up for the evening. The streets and main market square were emptying out, with the exception of the taverns, where many citizens lingered during the evening. Of all things for me to think about as I followed Gaius, I wondered why I had not gone into a medieval tavern yet. Those have always been a big deal in any fantasy story. Even _The Lord of the Rings_ had a tavern: The Prancing Pony.

_If I somehow survive this, I'll have to change that._

"It's about time you showed up!" Anna shouted to us from inside her cart.

I blinked in surprise when I saw the state of her tent. By state, I mean the complete lack of a tent. Every single box, crate, and piece of merchandise Anna possessed had been stuffed into the back of her canvass topped, horse-drawn carriage. Two small spots, barely big enough for a pair of bedrolls, were cleared back there for sleeping purposes. As I got closer, Anna glared at me.

"You and I are not going to go to sleep at the same time, pervert." She finished strapping down something in her cart then hopped out of it.

I sputtered out a few incoherent sounds while Gaius's serious mask broke. He clapped my shoulder.

"You are a damn madman, you know that?" He chuckled, stepping up into the back of the cart while Anna marched to the driver's seat in the front.

"It was an accident!" I cried before taking Gaius's hand and letting him haul me up into the cart.

"How do you accidentally grab a girl's boob?" Anna shot back.

"Well when you have a terrifying chicken that squawks when I'm trying to do something, it can happen," I explained.

"I guess you could say you're a chicken when faced with a chicken." Gaius snickered.

"Fuck you."

Gaius threw his head back and laughed louder. The reins on Anna's cart snapped, and the wooden wheels rumbled against Ylisstol's cobblestone road leading out of the city from the markets. A few citizens walking along the roads stepped out the way and gave us solemn glances as we passed by. I hardly had a chance to ask why they all looked so somber when I heard something cluck behind me.

Gaius snickered under his breath as my face turned red with rage.

"I'm cooking dinner tonight." I said with a nod, "And it is going to be the best damn chicken you've ever had!" I shouted so Anna could hear me.

"You touch Cluckers you die!" Anna snapped back.

_Cluckers?_

Gaius rolled onto his side, wheezing with laughter.

"It has a name. Oh Naga, stop it! My sides hurt. First the boob, then the brooch, now the chicken. You're on a damn roll, Sammy."

"He keeps rolling and he'll find himself staring down the tip of my sword," Anna remarked as she guided the cart out of Ylisstol's main gate and north towards the wilderness.

I paled, "I'm not interested in experiencing that again."

"Oh! That's right." Anna glanced back at me, "You still need to be punished."

"Kinky." Gaius snickered.

Anna's eyes widened while I glared angrily at the rolling thief. Both Anna and I thought, then said, the same thing.

"Fuck you, Gaius."

* * *

I have lived in many places in my life, seen many different environments. I've wandered cities like San Diego and Chicago, where you are more likely to see miles of concrete than large patches of grass. I've walked the brick roads of Athens, Ohio, where if there wasn't a University in town, the town would not exist. I've lived in the Great Plains, in the Frozen Tundra, and on an island. All of those places were vibrant in their own way. Nothing ever seemed truly dull or dead.

I could not say the same thing about the fields and wilderness surrounding Anna's cart. Unlike the lands around Ylisstol, which were still somewhat lush and bright, the lands in Ylisse's Northwest were barren fields of dry, dead grass, and dust. Instead of a sapphire blue sky overhead, the sky seemed perpetually gray, even though there was a lack of clouds. The dead plains reminded me of something from, of all things, a Fallout game. Dead things everywhere. Not a living thing in sight. Dead trees, reduced to dry twigs sitting solitary in the plains. A few stacks of bones from various animals that I could not recognize without skin and muscle. A dreary place that sucked a lot of energy out of me and made traveling a dull affair.

Thankfully I was marching with two of the most insane people I have ever met. Gaius and Anna's bickering, verbal sparring, and jokes always managed to lighten the mood. If they were not around, I probably would have gone insane due to the dreariness and boredom.

Anna's cart rumbled to a stop near the top of a small hill. Her horse shook its head and snorted while Anna set the reins to the side.

"Sun's setting." She called back to me and Gaius in the cart.

Gaius snored across from me. The thief slept most of the day, taking long watches during the night for me and Anna. I nudged his boot with my foot, making the thief crack an eye open.

"We stopped?" He muttered.

I nodded as I moved to get out of the cart. Gaius let out a loud yawn while I jumped down and reached back up into the cart to grab mine and Anna's travel packs. I heaved Anna's pack over to her, which she easily caught as if it weighed nothing all. As usual, no thank you or acknowledgment towards me.

Gaius poked his head out as Anna yanked her bedroll free from her pack while I took a drink from my skin of water.

"She's still pissed?"

"At me? Yeah." I muttered.

Gaius puckered his lips, "What about when it comes to me?"

I gave him a weary look. Gaius shrugged.

"Just curious. I don't wanna tick her off with a bad remark."

"You didn't accidentally grope her, so I doubt she's mad at you," I remarked, shouldering my travel pack and walking over to where Anna was setting up a fire.

Gaius snickered as he strolled after me, not even bothering to grab his own travel pack, "There is that yeah, but-"

"I am not pissed at you from grabbing me," Anna muttered as she finished stacking some wood and dead grass for the fire. She reached into her pack, withdrew a red tome, and paused, thinking for a moment, "Well, I am a little mad about that. But I also know you wouldn't do something so stupid maliciously."

I cringed, "Can I still say 'I'm sorry', again?"

Anna glared at me. She opened the tome, whispered some words, and a fireball burst to life in her hand, making me pale.

"You took my brooch." She said, her voice monotone, but her eyes betrayed her still burning fury.

I gulped, "I was told by Gaius that it was a test."

Anna shot a small fireball at the wood and kindling, lighting a fire instantly. Gaius sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm going to grab my stuff." He whispered to me, "I think it might be buried under some… crates… yeah."

"Way to feed me to the lioness," I growled back as he quickly stepped away.

"You talk very loud, you know that Sam?" Anna remarked, making me jump.

"Yeah well…" I bobbed my head back and forth, "It's a bad habit I need to fix."

"Especially for our line of work." Anna nodded, smoothing out her bedroll before sitting down on it. As she sat down, my eyes flicked to the brooch pinned to her breast.

_Let the topic die. Don't ask. Please, for the love of God, say nothing._

"So," I crouched down by the fire and warmed my hands, "What's the big deal?"

_Dumbass._

Anna furrowed her brow, "About?"

_Let it die!_

"The brooch," I replied, ignoring the probably wise voice in my head telling me to hide from this topic altogether.

Anna's face darkened as I reminded her once again of the stunt I pulled. Her fingers tapped against her right leg as she glared at me.

"It's important to me. That is all you need to know."

I worked my jaw back and forth a moment. That was not a very good explanation. Then again, what business did I have asking about an object that held significant meaning to another person? It did not affect me whatsoever.

But it did affect how well me and Anna could work together. I always felt tense around her now, because I knew she was always infuriated with me. Conflict was never something I enjoyed, and in my old life, I actively avoided it. Fistfights? I've been in three of them in my entire life before ending up in Ylisse. Someone angry with me? If I can't talk to them about it, or if they continue to stay mad at me, I normally just avoid the situation entirely. Yet, in my gut, I knew I could not do that in this situation. I could not let the topic go when all of our lives hinged upon us working well as a team.

"Well um…" I pursed my lips, struggling with my words, "It's just uh- you're a girl and I figured that you would be madder about the whole, you know-" I waved my hand at her chest, which made her frown more. Nothing like talking like an idiot when trying to resolve a conflict. Always works wonders. I cleared my throat, "Why are you so mad about the brooch?"

"It is important to me and-"

"And that is not all." I finally blurted out.

Anna's eyes blazed as I dared to interrupt her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gaius poke his head out from the cart, notice Anna's anger, and slowly retreat back into the cart.

"Look, Anna," I took a breath, gathering my thoughts, "I am so sorry for what happened. I had no idea it was that important to you. But please, can you explain to me why so that I know how I can fix this situation."

"There is no fixing this." Anna snarled. She tapped the gold and red dragon's head, "This was given to me by a member of my family. That is why I don't have any others. That is why it is not for sale."

My face dropped. Something Anna refused to sell? I didn't think anything like that could possibly exist! Every single thing in Anna's cart; from the smallest little knick-knack and tome to the most expensive steel shield, had a price on it. But not the brooch she wore every day.

"Oh…" I replied dumbly, not able to come up with anything else to say.

"So, no apology is ever going to be enough." Anna continued, "There are a lot of things I can tolerate, Sam. Breaking personal boundaries of mine, even if you do not know about them, is something I absolutely hate." She leaned forward, red eyes boring holes into me, "Don't do it again."

I swallowed hard and nodded silently. At that moment, Gaius emerged from the back of the cart once again and sauntered over to us.

"Look what I found!" He smiled, carrying a stringed instrument that I assumed was a lute? I think?

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose, "Gaius, you may play well but you have a terrible singing voice."

Gaius feigned offense, "I do not. I have been told by many that my crooning is quite enjoyable."

"You've been around Miriel too much then." Anna snorted.

Gaius raised his brow, puzzled, as he sat down next to me, "I don't sing to Specs."

"You just said crooning." Anna jabbed a finger at him, "I know a week ago you had no idea that word existed."

"I did too." Gaius shifted in his seat, "Just didn't know what it meant."

"Still counts," Anna replied.

"So what are you gonna sing for us, Gaius?" I asked quickly, hoping to stop any further bickering between the two.

Gaius thought for a moment, one finger plucking the first string on the lute.

"I was gonna ask you that, Sammy." He replied, making me suck in a breath.

"Me? Sing?"

_If you want an amazing rendition of a dying cat singing something you've definitely never heard of, then sure._

"Yeah." Gaius leaned back against his travel pack, still plucking the first string. He frowned, reached up, and tuned the string. One more pluck and he smiled, "That's better."

A hundred different songs bounced in my mind. But before I could even make a decision, I hesitated. According to the Shepherds, I have amnesia. My memory extended as far back as waking up in what was left of Southtown, no further.

So why would Gaius ask me to sing a song if I probably didn't know any songs? It's not like I had any time in the past few months to enjoy the rich Ylissean culture in Ylisstol. So I definitely did not know any local folk songs.

This situation needed to be played with delicate care. I glanced over at Anna.

"I don't know anything about singing." I lied, "What about you Anna?"

Anna glared at me, making Gaius chuckle.

"Good luck with that approach, Sammy. You ain't going to get Anna to sing a single note for us." Gaius ran his fingers over the strings, playing a soft melody that sounded soothing to the ears, "You sure you don't got anything to sing?"

I shrugged, "Can't recall."

Gaius nodded, "Right, forgot about that. Amnesia and all… yup." He cleared his throat, "Well then, if no one else is going to do it, then I shall. Any requests, Anna?"

"An instrumental," Anna grumbled resting her head on her right hand.

Gaius snorted out a laugh, "Fine. I won't subject you to my crooning."

And so, Gaius strummed away at the lute. Soft, pleasant notes drifted over our small camp and spread out over the dead landscape. The warmth of the fire, and the gentle breeze, combined with Gaius's surprisingly great playing, slowly lulled me into a deep sleep.

* * *

I woke the next day to the same gray, dreary sky, and the same dead land around me. The sun started to slowly rise. It was not a vibrant ball of light like in Ylisstol. Instead, it reminded me of sunrises in Wisconsin during the dead of winter. A sunrise that was somehow colder than the night. I shivered and wrapped my cloak tight around my shoulders as I propped myself up and smelled eggs cooking on a skillet.

Anna and Gaius were already awake. Anna had started preparing the cart while Gaius fried some eggs. He nodded to me, and I frowned back.

"You never woke me for my watch shift," I grumbled, rising from my bedroll and stretching my arms over my head.

Gaius shrugged, "This is your first mission, and you looked extra tired. Me and Red handled things just fine last night."

I cocked an eyebrow. Gaius sucked in a sharp breath then wagged his spatula at me.

"Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter, damn it." He said with a good-natured chuckle

"According to Anna, my mind is always in the gutter," I muttered as Gaius flipped the eggs.

"You did that to yourself!" Anna called over from the wagon.

I rolled my eyes, "She'll never let it go, will she?"

Gaius shrugged and dug into one of his pockets, "She ain't wrong though." He wrenched a pair of wrapped up lollipops and tossed me one. I gave him a surprised look as he unwrapped his and popped it into the corner of his mouth.

"A lollipop?" I narrowed my gaze, "What am I about to do?"

"Nothing," Gaius remarked, twirling the sweet between his teeth. He flicked his eyes towards the rising sun and huffed, "Another day maybe, then we enter Northern Plegia. From there it's maybe three or four more days to the Western Longfort."

My mood sobered significantly at that update. I absently unwrapped the lollipop and stuck it into my mouth. A happy hum managed to slip from my lips as the sweet flavor rushed over my tongue.

"Cherry." I hummed with a smile.

"Only the best." Gaius nodded, "Anna, eggs are done!"

"About time." Anna huffed, marching back over to us. Dead grass crunched beneath her boots as she wiped her hands off on her pants. She snatched her plate from Gaius and jabbed a fork into the eggs, taking a large bite. She nodded to herself, "Not as good as soup."

Gaius sighed, "You can't have soup for breakfast, Anna."

"If you're sick you can." I pointed out, accepting my plate of breakfast from Gaius, "That's the big exception. But if you want my opinion, breakfast sandwiches are the best for mornings."

Anna raised her brow, puzzled. Gaius meanwhile, simply nodded while I froze mid-bite.

"Don't believe I've ever heard of that." Gaius pointed out as he took the skillet away from the fire.

So much for making my claim of amnesia seem credible. Now I had to roll with my mistake. Make it seem like it's just an insignificant little detail that has absolutely nothing to do with my true origins. As nonchalantly as I could manage, I shoveled a huge bite of eggs into my mouth and nodded.

"Yeah." I swallowed my first bite, "Breakfast sandwiches. They're basically like toast, eggs, and bacon rolled into one thing. Or you could do sausage instead of bacon. I've seen some with potatoes on them too. Really just a big grease bomb that sits in your gut like a brick."

Gaius's eyes widened, "That sounds amazing."

I laughed, both releasing nervous tension and enjoying Gaius's dumbfounded look. How long has it been since I enjoyed food like that? Sure, the Palace cooks in Ylisstol made good food, but most of it was the same old thing. The meats were almost always seasoned the same way, with salt and pepper, nothing else. Simple potatoes and vegetables were always the sides. Plain loaves of bread, while delicious, did not make me salivate.

_What I'd give for a Sausage McMuffin._ My mouth watered a little bit, _With cheese… and a large coke._

I need to stop torturing myself like this.

"It really is." I took another bite, "What do you think, Anna?"

Anna's lips twitched. She reached for her waterskin and brought it close to her lips, "You'd get along well with my sister." She simply said before taking a long drink. Once she finished drinking, she quickly scarfed down her breakfast and set her wooden plate down, "Hurry up you two. Don't have a lot of daylight."

I furrowed my brow in confusion as she strode back to the wagon.

"What does she mean by that?" I asked Gaius.

Gaius pressed his lips together as he munched on his last piece of egg. He swallowed, set his plate to the side, and replaced his lollipop into his mouth, "Plegia is a land of darkness now kid. Once we cross that border, it's going to be short days and long nights."

_You make it sound like Mordor… or Alaska._ I thought to myself, managing to slightly amuse myself.

My amusement faded rather quickly as Gaius put out our campfire and scattered the burnt ashes, leaving no trace of our presence in that field. I gathered both of our travel packs then we both trudged towards Anna's cart, where she sat in the driver's seat waiting.

"Wonder if we'll run into anyone looking to buy something," Anna muttered as she gripped the reins while Gaius and I hopped into the back of the cart.

"Always thinking about that bottom line, aren't ya?" Gaius chuckled while I stayed quiet.

"Gold still exists." Anna pointed out. She snapped the reins and the cart rumbled forward, "Even in the apocalypse."

I smiled to myself. Gold still exists in the apocalypse; that was one way to stay sane in this insane world. Maybe I should try and get a mindset like that before I lose my own mind. Hell, I was pretty sure I was already crazy. I had to be kinda crazy in order to be doing what I am doing now; training to be a thief, a scout, in a medieval army that, up until a few months ago, only existed as a video game for me.

_No amount of therapy is going to help me get over this when I get home._ I thought to myself with a sigh, watching the wagon wheels leave trails in the dead grass behind us.

Gaius nudged me with his boot, "Chin up, Sammy." He twirled his lollipop with his teeth, "Save the frowns for Plegia."

I smirked and nodded in agreement

"Saving the frowns for Plegia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter! I'll be honest, I did not have much of a plan when I first started writing this story. And I certainly did not think that Gaius and Anna would have such big parts in this story, but damn is it working out well so far! I'm thoroughly enjoying this, and I hope you guys are enjoying it too! Next chapter we'll reach the Longfort and there, we will see what happened to our friend's allies to the north. I do have a storyline in place now. One I've been working the details out for a few weeks now, and I'm very excited to put it in place! It's gonna be one heck of a ride!  
> Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!
> 
> Also, come join the Treehouse discord server! Discord code is: 9XG3U7a
> 
> And! Come check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Stormtide Leviathan, Narwhal Lord, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts, and we talk about writing, fanfiction, fire emblem, and other random nonsense! You can find the podcast on Spotify and on Soundcloud! Hope to see you all there!


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